


Gasoline

by fucking-androids (Reyire), scruffyperv (Vyntacular)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: CW: alcohol, Descriptions of murders, M/M, Police Procedural, Slow Burn, cw: depression, cw: suicidal thoughts, eventual explicit sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-04 22:16:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15156788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyire/pseuds/fucking-androids, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vyntacular/pseuds/scruffyperv
Summary: Connor's first case as an official member of the DPD turns out to be a serial killer whose only signature is that he leaves no clues behind. He must also deal with navigating new emotions he hasn't experienced before becoming deviant. Luckily, he has Hank to teach him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [Gasolina ('Gasoline') - TRADUCCIÓN AUTORIZADA](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15465927) by [Samantha_Myarrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samantha_Myarrow/pseuds/Samantha_Myarrow)



> It's Connor again! Here's that slow burn fic I promised everyone! ;D We are still writing it but we will try to update when we can. Please enjoy! Thank you!

**_Gasoline_ **  
_Chapter One_

There was no normal to return to.

After the march and the massacre, when the humans relented to accept the androids as they were… There was peace, but nothing that could be called normal.

Connor brushed the LED indicator on his temple as he studied himself in the mirror. What was normal? Should he remove it? Should it stay? It was a part of him, and had never bothered him before… but everything was different now. His eyes were open for the first time, at last he could see the world clearly.

“Connor?”

He would’ve recognized Hank’s gruff tone even if he hadn’t been able to see the man approach through the mirror.

“Yes?”

Hank’s eyes lingered on Connor’s hand. Connor followed the line, watched his indicator flashing yellow as he struggled to make his decision. He closed his eyes.

“Do you think I should keep it? There will be some in the office who won’t be able to accept me… It would be logical to remove it for the sake of blending in.”

With his eyes closed he couldn’t see what Hank was doing, but he could calculate his potential movements. The way he’d cross his arms, the frown that would settle into the creases on his face — There was a hand on his shoulder. His eyes flew open, his indicator red with surprise, then faded back into yellow then further into blue. Hank’s hand was on his shoulder, his expression… complex.

“You have to do what is right for you, Connor. Any cop worth his salt will accept you for your capabilities regardless of some… glowy spot.” 

He flicked it teasingly and Connor’s eyes fluttered briefly. How did Hank always know which spots to hit to make him malfunction? He brushed Hank’s hands away but there was a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Alright. Then I’ll keep it.” Connor let his hands fall to his tie, straightened it, and turned back toward Hank. “This is illogical. I’m _nervous_. I’ve done this before, but still my hands shake.”

“You’re an official part of the department now, it is different.” Hank reminded him.

“Not helpful, Hank.”

He just chuckled and strolled out of the station restroom, leaving Connor to struggle with his nerves alone.

“Damn it!”

Connor hurried out into the hall, scanned the hallway for Hank, then headed after him. They only made it a few steps into the office proper before Fowler leaned out of his office:

“Hank - Connor! My office, now!”

They exchanged a look and Hank shrugged before making his way into the office. Connor followed after Hank, still trying to master this unnecessary case of first day jitters, and folded his arms behind his back.

“Alright. Officially, Connor, welcome to the team. It’s… good… to have you here as more than just… the android sent by CyberLife, I suppose.” This was new and unusual for everyone. “Got to say it’s weird working with a deviant, but if Hank’s got no more complaints then we can actually get some work done.”

Hank grumbled something beneath his breath but didn’t complain, he just waved his hand in a sign of growing impatience. Fowler rolled on, unperturbed by Hank’s demeanor. “I’ve got a homicide on my desk and I want you two to handle it. This case needs to be solved yesterday - we’ve had enough chaos in the last few months, we don’t need this.”

“Real fucking vague.”

“Just do your job, Anderson.” Fowler’s gaze drifted from Hank to Connor. “And keep him in line, will you?”

Connor’s previously still expression twitched into a smirk. “Yes, sir.”

More grumbling from Hank’s direction, and the elder cop stomped his way out of the office. Connor followed like, what term had he used when they first started working together? Right: a plastic poodle. 

“What are we dealing with?” Connor slid into his chair easily, focused on his terminal, until he noticed Hank’s eyes on him. Hm? He turned his attention up to Hank. “Is there a problem, Lieutenant?”

Hank averted his gaze abruptly. “Nah… It’s still just surprising to see you acting so… normal.”

“CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and — “ He was cut off by Hank snorting and chuckling beneath his breath. It took a surprising amount of will power to resist the urge to smile at him. “Why are you laughing, lieutenant?”

“Cut it, you know why.”

After that he refused to respond to any of Connor’s teasing remarks and stared resolutely at his terminal with a particularly stubborn frown. Connor let himself smile as he reviewed the case file.

**Sheryl Nam**  
_Human Female; Age 49; Occupation: Receptionist Supervisor_

A human female had been murdered in her own apartment in a middle-class neighborhood. She was found by her current partner, Melina, when she hadn’t shown up for their dinner engagement. The killing was quick, methodical, without any traces of rage or sexual motivations. Nothing had been taken from the apartment, so they ruled out robbery. What then? An execution? A crime of opportunity? Without visiting the scene of the crime it was impossible to form conjecture.

“Lieutenant?” he spoke up as his eyes darted to his partner. “I believe we need to go to the crime scene and speak to people who knew the victim. I don’t have enough information.”

“Damn, Connor, I literally just sat down. Give me a minute.” Hank said, shaking his head. Sometimes having a partner with a computer for a brain was a pain in the ass. Thankfully Connor was also as patient as someone with a computer for a brain, so there was that.

_Clink_.

“Oh fuck no.” Hank growled, jerking his attention up from the terminal. “Not that damned coin again!” Even as he said it he watched the coin roll across Connor’s knuckles, vanish into his palm, and flick across the gap between his hands. “Just sit there! No coins! Just. Sit.”

“I’m calibrating, Lieutenant. It’s important that I’m in top condition before we begin our first official case.” Conner replied, still flipping the coin around in his fingers.

Hank stared at him for a minute and then just shook his head. Ah. Connor must still be nervous. Frowning, he decided to let it go just this one time.

* * *

When they arrived on the scene they were greeted by the attending officers, who directed the pair to Sheryl’s apartment. For the first time, no one commented on what ‘The Plastic’ was doing accompanying Hank. Connor felt… good. Like he was an active part of something and not just a tool.

Inside the apartment they found the scene almost eerily clean. There was no evidence of a break in, nothing upturned to imply robbery, though Connor does note that her alarm system was hacked at some point in the evening. Could there be an android involved? He leaned down to examine the body closer while Hank was talking to one of the other officers. 

Death was caused by a single gunshot wound to the head. So this wasn’t rage, it was simply an execution. The real question was why? What was the killer’s motive? He eyed the pool of blood around the victim warily before feeling a hand clamp down on his shoulder. 

“Don’t even think about it Connor.”

“But I can process samples in real time, lieutenant!”

“I know. I know. But we don’t need to .. so please.”

“I suppose I will refrain if you wish.” he replied, coyly, as he looked up at Hank.

Hank tried to force his smile into a grimace. “That a joke, Connor?”

“Maybe.” The android bit his lip and turned back to the victim. He wasn't sure there was much else to find here. With a sigh, he stood up and turned to the officers. "Were there any witnesses that heard the gunshot?"

"No, unfortunately."

“Did we at least collect the bullet? It looks like a clean through and through.”

“Yes, sir. The bullet is already en route to the lab with the CSI team.”

“Get those results sent to my terminal immediately.“ The officer nodded.

Connor scanned the room a second time but found nothing amiss that could help them. Someone had hacked the door and shot this woman, and the best he could surmise with that evidence was that the shooter probably had an illegal silencer.

“From what I can tell, she was caught off guard while getting ready for her date. The perp came in through the front door, shot her, and seems to have departed immediately. The only fingerprints of note belong to the victim…”

“That doesn’t exactly tell us anything.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t… Perhaps her co-workers would know more. Or the girlfriend that found her… Is she still here?”

“We sent her to the station, she seems to be in shock.”

“Of course.” Hank grumbled.

Connor sighed. “Any close friends in the building?”

“None. Most people recognized her but no one really seemed to know her well. They said she was ‘married to her work’.”

“We should go talk to her co-workers then.” Connor pulled up an image of the building in his hand and remotely set Hank’s GPS to the address. “Shall we go now, lieutenant?”

“Yeah yeah, alright.”

The drive would take longer than either of them anticipated. “No car? She just took the train, hm?” Hank grumbled as he pulled out of the lot.

“Seems that way.”

Hank was silent for a few minutes, just listening to the music blaring over his radio, but when eventually he spoke up again it wasn’t the topic Connor had anticipated. “Hey… How are you doing with all this? The feelings and… stuff.”

Connor glanced away, embarrassed but he couldn’t help but smile. “I’m doing okay… Thank you for your concern, Hank.”

Hank coughed. “Yeah, whatever. No big deal. Just wanted to check in.”

They were silent the remainder of the drive to the office building that Sheryl Nam had worked in. She’d been the human supervisor over an android-run receptionist desk. Though things had changed, and all androids were now what used to be considered 'deviant', many of them returned to their former jobs, simply because they were familiar with the work. Except now they were paid. They had homes, partners, and lives outside of doing whatever humans told them to. Humans and androids were now working side by side -- in most places. There were still people attempting to discriminate, of course, but laws were in the process of being passed to limit that.

When they entered the building, the androids behind the front desk all seemed unsettled.

"Lieutenant Hank Anderson, DPD. This is my partner, Connor." He flashed his badge and Connor nodded at the group of people behind the welcome desk. "We want to ask you some questions about your co-worker, Sheryl, if that's alright."

"O-oh, yes, of course." an android spoke up. She was wearing a name tag that read 'Quinn'. "We only just received the news that Sheryl was .. gone."

"Is there any chance that Sheryl had any enemies?" Connor asked, after quickly scanning the androids and finding nothing unusual or noteworthy in their backgrounds.

They again, gave each other silent, unhappy looks.

"I don't think so .." answered another android named Zelma. "Except .."

"Except?"

"There were a few times customers weren't happy that our business employs androids and they took it out on Sheryl .. but only verbally. I can't imagine her having any enemies outside of that .."

"Were there any conflicts that seemed particularly dangerous?" Hank asked.

"No but you're welcome to review our CCTV footage, if you need to."

"Thanks, I will do that. I'll let you all get back to work then." 

Zelma led Hank and Connor to a terminal in the back of the office and then resumed her position up front. Connor sat down and Hank leaned over the back of his chair to watch the screen. He could feel his partner's breath lightly against his ear and for some reason, he hesitated before accessing the terminal.

"Let's go, Connor, I don't wanna be here all day." murmured Hank, his gruff voice almost directly in the android's ear.

"U-um, right," Connor stuttered, bringing up the CCTV footage on the terminal as quickly as possible. Why were these tiny things that Hank did so distracting now?! He honestly had no answer. He just tried to focus on reviewing the task at hand.

He mostly sorted through the most recent footage from business hours when Sheryl was at work. There were a few altercations with humans, but nothing that really stood out. It was generally just a few people taking offense with their android staff and Sheryl having to politely ask them to leave. He scanned the faces for information about the harassers, but none of them stood out. None had any criminal record or offenses against any androids even. He took note of them all, but he'd have to look deeper into it back at the station. Frustrated, he shut off the terminal.

"This might be another dead end." Connor admitted as he stood again.

“That ballistic report’s probably ready by now.” Hank shrugged, clapping a hand on his partner's shoulder. “Let’s go check it out.”

Connor froze up for just a second. "Yes," he answered, absent-mindedly. His first day on the job and he was already having trouble focusing? Not good.

The news back at the station wasn't that great either.

“Whole lot of help this is,” Hank said, sitting down at his desk with a coffee in hand. "No information other than it was fired from a .22 caliber handgun."

Connor was already back at his desk and scanning more in-depth reports on the people who’d harassed Sheryl. He frowned as Hank announced that their last lead didn't glean them any new clues.

"So far, this homicide investigation is going nowhere."

"No more info on anyone from the CCTV footage either?"

"No, they're apparently all upstanding citizens… Except for hating androids, I guess." 

Connor drummed his fingers across the desktop anxiously. There was a possibility this person might murder again .. and at this point, he had no way of stopping it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to wait a bit to update, but Hank was all are you going to post another chapter? So here it is. (:

**_Gasoline_ **  
_Chapter Two_

Hank and Connor spent the afternoon tracking down some of the people from the footage to question them about their harassment of Sheryl, but again it was just another dead end. Most were either annoyed or angry, and brushed the questions off since they hadn't "done anything wrong" or because they wouldn’t talk to a “plastic cop”. There was no new information, no suspects, and no clues.

As they got back in the car to leave, Connor slammed his door a little bit harder than he needed to. Hank studied him from the corner of his eye. It was still so damn weird to see the android acting so _human_ but at the same time he appreciated it. Emotions were hard, and as far as anyone was concerned this sucked. Connor wasn’t wrong to be disappointed.

"It wasn't a bad first day, Con. I mean, we got a lot of legwork done." he supplied helpfully.

Connor nodded tightly. The reflection of his LED in the window showed it rolling from yellow to red. Hank wasn't too good with all this emotion shit either, but he felt like he owed it to Connor to try to walk him through some of it. He did have a little more experience, anyway.

“Why don’t you come over to my place for a bit?” Hank offered. 

“No thank you… I think I need some time to go over the case details — Lieutenant what are you doing?!”

As he was speaking, Hank had abruptly changed the course of the car’s direction. “Nope. Changed my mind, you’re coming to my place now. You’re officially on mope-watch tonight.”

“Lieutenant - Hank! What do you mean - what are you doing?”

“I told you. You’re coming over to my place and we’re going to talk about something other than the case until you stop moping.”

“But I should — “

“I said no, got it? You may be super smart and perfect and all, but I’ve had more experience being a flawed detective. The first rule is that you leave the case at work.”

Different expressions ran across Connor's face, ranging from touched to angry, before settling on something like resigned. It was fascinating to watch him, to see how his emotions displayed so much more prominently on his features.

"Lieutenant, the road." Connor gently reminded him, his voice a little strained.

Hank coughed abruptly and turned his eyes back to his driving. "I know how to drive, Connor."

The android just shook his head and didn't reply. He didn't quite appreciate Hank trying to divert his attention from the case, but he understood the objective behind it. Or at least he thought he did.

***

Connor was quietly petting Sumo and trying to not let Hank notice he was mentally reviewing files about the case. Hank, of course, was drinking and watching some sport or another on TV. Abruptly, Hank broke the reserved silence between them.

"Hey, get over here."

Both Connor and Sumo looked up, heads tilting to the side in near unison. Hank nearly snorted beer but years of drinking around blockhead dogs saved him. He cleared his throat instead.

"I meant you, Con. I didn't invite you over just to have you pet Sumo all night."

"You didn't?"

"Well... uh..." He fumbled, growled down into his bottle, and then motioned to the couch beside him. "No! I invited you over to get your mind off work and, y'know, talk." He also happened to forget that Connor probably couldn't drink and his initial plan for them to both drink until words were easier had fallen through instantly.

Maybe it would still work if he was drunk and Connor was just himself.

Connor straightened up and, despite protests from Sumo, made his way to the couch to join Hank. "Alright, what did you want to talk about?"

Nope. No luck. Connor was still hard to talk to. Hank took a deep swig of his drink then paused to study Connor's distant expression. His LED flashed yellow and Hank sat up suddenly, leaning in toward Connor. "You're thinkin' about the case when I told you to drop it!"

"I can't just NOT think about it! I can't find any connection - any reason - anything! It's... It's..."

"Absolutely infuriating? It gnaws at you and, give it half a chance, it'll keep you up at night. I know. And _that_ is why I told you to come drink - er, talk - with me."

Connor frowned momentarily but a smile slowly found itself on his lips. "You wanted me to come drink with you? Lieutenant... I don't believe that's an appropriate course of action with your subordinate?"

Judging by Hank's expression, his teasing had worked. The older man had gone red all the way up to his ears and Connor had to stifle a snicker before he wounded his partner’s pride as well. Hank muttered something under his breath and took another swig of his beer to avoid conversation.

"Well, I'm here, Lieutenant." Connor shrugged. "Let's talk."

Hank scraped his mind for a topic, but had trouble coming up with one. "Hm. You're a deviant now, Connor. Tell me what you're interested in."

"That's ... a good question." he answered, pausing. Mostly he just thought a lot about work. And Sumo. And Hank. So basically work and Hank. His interest was Hank?? He frowned deeply. "Uhm .. I'm not sure."

"Hmf... What about hobbies, then? You know that one guy - Markus, right? - I hear he paints. Got anything like that? Instruments maybe?" That was a funny mental image, Connor playing an instrument, but it was also kind of adorable. The older man smirked as he leaned back against the sofa. "Or is it just the coin tricks for you?" Hank mimicked Connor playing with his quarter.

Connor smiled at that. "Mostly the coin tricks help me make sure everything is running smoothly. But I do enjoy it, as well."

"Is there anything you're interested in trying?" answered the older man, cracking open a new beer.

"Yes, I suppose there are a few things I'm interested in." Connor felt a warmth spread through his face. Ah, blushing. A human simulation he had no need for before deviancy. Now his face betrayed him, spectacularly.

"What are you thinking about that's got you looking like that?" Hank prodded. The android blushing was annoyingly cute.

"Ahem. Nothing in particular." the android lied, feeling the warmth fade from his face. He was interested in learning more about intimacy in general, but he couldn't tell his partner that.

"Nothing?" Hank muttered, though his eyes lingered on Connor's face. "The way you blushed, I'd have said you have a crush on someone. Do androids usually date?"

"I mean, no but now that everyone is deviant, that has changed." Connor avoided the comment about crushes.

"You didn't answer me." Hank pointed out. He knew he was probably not going to like the answer to this, but he was buzzed now and curious.

"Do _you_ have a crush on anyone, lieutenant?" the android asked, turning the question around.

Hank stared at him for a moment before quashing his errant thoughts. He was just overthinking things. Connor couldn't possibly be talking about himself. "I'm going to need to be a lot more drunk before I fall for that."

"It was worth a shot," Connor shrugged before looking away, a faint hint of red showing on his face again.

Just great, now Hank was questioning himself. Did Connor like him? Was this a thing he could consider? And why did he have to be so awkwardly adorable about it?! No, no. This was dumb. This was the sort of thoughts that got him in trouble. He demolished the beer he'd just opened in an attempt to silence the nagging voice in his head.

"So," Connor spoke up, wanting to change the subject. "What sports do you enjoy? I've never thought about having interests of my own before. Maybe I like it?"

Though he tried his best to hide his pleasure, Connor noticed the way he perked up before clapping him on the shoulder. "Now this is something we can talk about! And before we get started - no crazy android facts! We're gonna talk about the game not..." He waved a hand at Connor and then at the TV and then took another swig of his beer. "That! You!" he growled. "You know what I mean!"

Connor pursed his lips in an attempt not to laugh. "Yes, Hank, I know what you mean. No android facts."

"Good! Alright, so --" 

The night went more smoothly now that Hank was in his comfort zone, going on about his favorite sports teams, his opinions on androids playing sports, and what the game was all about. And, he progressively got more drunk.

"So-- that's why Detroit hasn't won anything in YEARS." he finished, slamming his empty beer bottle on the table with great effect.

"I see." Connor scanned the table and counted up the empty bottles that now littered the coffee table. "I think you've had enough for tonight, lieutenant."

"Hey! This is my house, so I can drink however much I want," Hank insisted, watching the android's face. He did know somewhere that Connor was absolutely right, but another part of his brain gleefully decided that he was now drunk enough to discuss things he had avoided earlier in the night. "Also, Connor, you never did answer me. What about you? Is there someone you like?"

"Someone I like?" Connor replied, surprised. "I haven't really thought about it."

"Not even a little?" Hank pushed.

That light pink blush broke out across the android's face again. "N-no."

"Well, I guess that makes sense." the older man concluded. "I mean are androids even into .. y'know." He pointed his beer bottle at Connor, nearly spilling its contents in the android’s lap as he did. Connor caught the tip easily and pushed it back upright in Hank's hand.

"Do they what?"

"You know!"

"I really don't." That was a lie, but it was too entertaining to watch Hank stumbling over explaining himself.

"Argh! Connor! Really???" Hank proceeded to make numerous hand gestures suggesting lewd acts all the while waving his drink around dangerously.

Connor managed a laugh. "I get your implication, Hank. And while not all androids can have or are interested in … sexual interactions, some can. I can, for example."

Hank finally dropped his beer and it spilled on the carpet. "Y-you can?" he stammered.

"Yes." Connor repeated, calmly, stooping to clean up the spilled beverage. 

It also allowed him to hide his face. Stupid programming. He avoided the older man's gaze and kept talking clinically as he took the empty bottle to the kitchen and grabbed something to clean the carpet with. 

"I was a prototype and they weren't sure what kind of cases I would need to handle, so I needed to be as similar to an actual human male as possible."

"As similar, huh." echoed Hank, still in disbelief.

"Are you drunk enough now to answer _my_ question?" the android asked, scrubbing the stain out of the carpet vigorously while he got his own thoughts under control.

"I-I .. haven't met anyone I'm interested in," slurred Hank, attempting now to look anywhere but Connor. This conversation only served to remind him that the last person in the world he should be interested in is his naive partner. "I think that's enough... bonding for one night. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning, kid."

Abruptly, Hank got off the couch and stumbled his way into his bedroom, leaving Connor alone in the living room with Sumo. Sighing, the android finished cleaning up and turned off some of the lights before calling a taxi. That hadn’t quite gone the way he’d anticipated and, though it had succeeded in distracting him from the case, he felt it could’ve gone a lot better.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter but we'll probably update sooner rather than later!

**_Gasoline_ **   
_Chapter Three_

Work wasn't going well. They received another homicide case and the MO was the same - just not the victim. A rich philanthropist bachelor had been killed this time. There were no clues, no leads and no one had any idea who'd want to kill him.

It'd been two weeks already since _that_ murder and today they were on the way to the site of yet _another_ homicide with the same MO. At this point they were seriously considering the possibility that this was a serial killer but they had yet to find any link between the victims. Connor was frustrated, to say the least. 

He looked at the scenery going by sullenly. They had left the city proper and now they were passing through a suburban neighborhood. The quality of the houses slowly declined until they pulled up to a small, somewhat dilapidated house surrounded by a chainlink fence.

"Alright, we're here." Hank announced. 

The place seemed to be swarming with police and the sidewalk out front was crowded with curious onlookers. They got to work as quickly as possible, assessing the crime scene and looking over the victim, only to find the same disparity of details that seemed to be the only link between their cases. Again, it was a fast execution style killing but this time the victim was a man who lived in a low-income neighborhood. His door hadn't been hacked this time, as it was a traditional one; but the lock had been expertly picked. 

There seemed to, again, be no other clues or leads, but as Connor investigated the house, he could see the faint traces of wet footprints. He scanned them and followed them outside, being careful to step around them.

"You find something, Connor?" Hank asked, seeing his partner heading towards the door.

"Maybe." he replied, still focused on the barely visible footprints. 

It had been raining earlier in the day. It was possibly heavy around the time of the murder. This might be the break he'd been looking for. He could tell they were a man's shoe, size 11. As he followed them outside, the trail momentarily vanished as it passed over wet cement. Panic nearly welled up before he located traces of disturbance in the yard - same shoe size, heading in the same direction. He could tell they led into where the crowd of onlookers were standing. 

In the blink of an eye he had scanned the onlookers to compare their shoe sizes with the ones he’d been following. One pair matched, and they were starting to walk away. Connor’s head snapped up and, for a moment, he met eyes with a man in the crowd. He was wearing a long black coat with a hat pulled down over his brow. Immediately he turned away and began to swiftly stride away from the scene.

The android attempted to follow without alerting him, but of course he couldn’t be that lucky. When the man glanced back and saw Connor following, he broke out into a full run.

“Wait! I just want to talk to you!" he called out uselessly. 

The suspicious man didn't slow at all and Connor took off after him. He heard Hank yell his name somewhere behind him but he didn't turn back. He needed to catch this murderer before any more crimes were committed.

He sprinted full out, confident in his ability to catch this suspect. He was human, not an android, and there was no way he could outrun Connor. With his head start the man made it around the corner ahead of them into a tight alley and, by the time Connor made it to the entrance of the alley, the man was already climbing a fence. He scanned the path and made the split second decision to cut through the yard to his left and rout the suspect on the other side.

Through the wet grass, barely aware of a familiar voice calling in the distance, he vaulted over three small fences and burst into the yard just as the suspect was slamming through the gate. They collided and instantly it became a grappling challenge to see who would come out on top.

"I just need to ask you some questions!" he growled through gritted teeth.

He did not expect to be shot. The force of the impact toppled him and he stumbled backward. He was regaining his footing when he looked up - straight into the barrel of a gun. Shit. He should have been more careful! He was already calculating the best course of action to get the gun into his control when a bullet whizzed past the assailant. It was enough to startle him into pulling the trigger, but it also gave Connor the split second he needed to throw off his aim.

Instead of blasting through his head, the bullet hit his shoulder in a similar area as the first shot. The butt of the pistol crashed into his temple and he went down in a daze as the assailant darted across the street into another alley.

Hank reached him then - it was his bullet that had startled the other man - and dropped to his knees beside Connor.

"Fuck, Con! What the fuck was that?!"

"Lieutenant! The murderer is escaping! I'm fine!" His LED was flashing red, flickering in and out from the blow it had taken. "We have to pursue him!"

"Like hell we are! Do you see yourself?! Your arm! Fuck!"

Connor blinked in surprise and turned his gaze down. Well, that was frustrating. He'd taken two close range shots to the shoulder and his arm was barely intact. The arm would definitely need to be replaced, and at the rate he was losing blue blood there was no way he'd be able to safely pursue their target.

"Damn it!" His arm was so damaged he couldn't even form a fist with it. "But I had him, Hank!"

"Who gives a fuck about that Connor, Christ!" the older man yelled, gripping the android's uninjured shoulder tightly.

Connor looked at Hank's face in confusion. What was Hank so angry about? "I'll be fine, lieutenant. I just need some simple repairs and I can get back to work immediately."

"Fucking -- damnit. You stupid android!" the older man stood up and walked away from Connor for a moment, talking rapidly to himself under his breath. "What if you'd gotten yourself killed?"

He blinked a few times, watching Hank pace back and forth and took a moment to stand before speaking. He held his injured arm loosely. "I mean .. they could upload my memory into a new body--"

"No. Connor, no. It wouldn't be you. It wouldn't be you anymore." Hank said, frustration clear in his voice.

"Of course it would. It isn't the optimal choice - considering there can be some losses - but I would be structurally the same."

Hank spun on him, closing the gap between them so suddenly that Connor was honestly surprised. He took a step backward as his LED faded from red to yellow. Hank stared at him, mouth moving but no words actually coming out. After a moment he let out a long breath and just turned his back to Connor.

"Let's just... get you repaired... We've got more information now than we've had so far. It's a huge break in the case."

His words sounded distant, automatic. It wasn't like him. Connor frowned and checked his arm; the exposed hardware sparked and flashed in the rain. He didn't get it, whatever Hank was so angry about, but he knew pushing him now would do nothing but make him angrier.

"Thank you, Hank." 

Hank just grumbled incoherently and started off toward where they'd parked the car.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Gasoline_ **   
_Chapter Four_

Android Medical Centers had been one of the first changes put forth by the state. Markus himself had helped convert old distribution centers into hospitals for androids. Their doors were open to all androids. Within no time his arm was as good as new (in fact it was new), his lost blue blood had been replenished, and everything was back to normal.

Except Hank. He wasn't his usual self at all. 

Despite staying with him through the majority of the repair process, he was still distant and sullen. At least he seemed relieved when they released Connor.

"Want me to take you home? Your jacket's pretty ripped up." the older man offered.

"Sure."

Silence.

Hank started walking away but Connor hung back warily. What was wrong? He'd been repaired, everything was fine?

"You coming or what?"

"Y-Yes."

He hurried after Hank and joined him in the car for the most awkward drive of their relationship. Before turning deviant, he had always sat with Hank in silence and afterward they had mixed in conversation about work and sometimes Hank introduced him to new music. This evening Hank spurned all his attempts at conversation and blasted some depressing heavy metal that seemed oddly suited to the dark mood his partner was currently in.

After a while he gave up and let Hank work through whatever it was he was struggling with. He had learned that sometimes the best medicine for Hank's mood was actually silence.

It didn't work this time.

Although they didn't have far to go, the drive remained tense and unpleasant for the duration of it. In they end they pulled up to the old apartment building that had been remodeled into affordable living units for androids. It suited Connor well enough, it met his needs and that was that, but Hank seemed even more disgruntled when they arrived.

"What's this place? You actually _live_ here?"

Pursing his lips, Connor nodded. "Yes." He was a bit hurt by the tone in his partner's voice.

"Home sweet home, I guess." Hank muttered.

They walked up to the apartment without any more commentary. Connor unlocked the door and let Hank into his home. It was a studio apartment, without much furniture; just a few places to sit, a bed, and a dresser that contained his clothes. Truthfully, Connor spent more time at Hank's place than he did at his own apartment.

"Please sit," he said, motioning to one of the chairs. The android went over to the dresser and began to remove his ripped clothing, lost in thought still about his partner's bad mood.

Hank frowned a little but selected the most comfortable looking chair and plopped himself down. Ugh. Why couldn't he just understand that his life was important? Why did he have to act like it all didn't matter? Like _he_ didn't matter? He wished he had a beer. He looked up to ask Connor if maybe he had something like that around when he found the boy stripping his clothes off.

"Fff." The sound escaped him before he could stop himself.

"Lieutenant?"

Connor didn't look at him, he just finished removing his jacket and set to work on the buttons of his shirt. Hank panicked inwardly. He shouldn't be watching this. He shouldn't _want_ to be watching this.

"Nothin'," he huffed.

The android glanced over his shoulder then but Hank was just sitting in the chair with his arms crossed looking extra disgruntled. Was he still angry? Why did that make his chest ache? Connor's fingers lingered over the button near his heart. He didn't have a proper name for this feeling yet. His archives didn't clarify much either. Humans felt heartbreak or anxiety in their chests? Fear? No... None of those made sense.

Hank bit his lip when Connor looked away. What was the boy doing!? He popped each button open in a slow, methodical manner that left Hank aching in all the wrong ways. He shifted and crossed his legs to hide the growing desire he was harboring. Was this intentional? Was Connor messing with him? Was this vengeance for yelling at him?!

Despite his conflicting thoughts, he ate up what he was seeing greedily; like the way the lithe brunette slid off his damaged shirt and tossed it casually into the laundry basket by the dresser. Hank's mouth was dry.

Connor selected a new shirt and began the process to button it back up and tuck it in. He went to a nearby closet and grabbed a new jacket as well. It was still grey with blue accents, but no longer identified him as an android. He liked grey. He turned back to find Hank now looking angry _and_ uncomfortable. Connor sighed and took a seat across from his partner.

"Hank, I think we need to talk."

Hank nearly leapt out of his chair when Connor spoke to him from a different part of the room. Jesus, had he zoned out that badly? His mind had wandered off on a very inappropriate tangent and now he felt like a deer in the headlights: staring at the boy with a look of bewilderment.

Did Connor notice him watching? Was he disgusted? His mouth felt like it was full of sandpaper. He shifted and crossed his legs, hiding the stiffness he felt behind defensiveness. "About what?"

"About why you've been acting like this since I chased that suspect down." Connor's brows furrowed. "I don't understand most of this -- I need your help."

Huh. He'd been holding his breath. He let it out slowly and then looked back up at Connor. He'd been anxious for nothing, or for the wrong reason... Damnit. "Ah, fuck, Con." He rubbed his face with his hands. "You're a person..." He lowered his hands and frowned at Connor. "You're not just some disposable machine."

"But, Hank--"

"No. You know what, I'm fed up! I'm your _partner_ , Connor. Your life is important to me! I don't want to have to meet some guy with your face pretending to be you because he remembers shit about me. It's fucked up, man." At least he wasn't turned on anymore. This couldn't be further from sexy. "And what if something cocks up with this memory transfer BS and you lose it all? It'll be like... like..." He shot to his feet abruptly. "I need a drink. Just... don't be so fucking flippant! At least consult your partner before you go chasing after weirdos!"

He started toward the door; he needed out of this room. Away from Connor, away from his feelings. He'd put his report in tomorrow, tonight he was going to get wasted.

Hank was jerked backward when Connor grabbed onto his shoulder before he could leave. He slid in front of the older man to block his access to the door. "No. We're going to talk for once."

"Outta my way, Connor." Hank growled.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't .. I didn't know, okay? I don't want to ... die .. anymore than you want me to .. I just .. I wasn't thinking. Please, just stay." The android placed both of his hands on the older man's shoulders, looking down at both of their feet. His chest ached again.

Hank stiffened beneath Connor's touch. "Fuck, kid." This wasn't fair. He couldn’t even look at Connor and now his heart was pounding. “Just let me go."

“…Fine." Connor answered, moving away from the door. He didn't have it in him to fight anymore. This day had already been too long. He looked up and his partner was already gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's my birthday (Connor) so here's a present for everyone! Another chapter! (With some added Markus/Simon goodness from Hank of course.)

**_Gasoline_ **   
_Chapter Five_

Connor wasn't sure whether or not it was a good thing that they both had a scheduled day off after that argument, but he was also partially glad for the time apart. The other part of him wanted to rush over to Hank's to make sure he wasn't blacked out drunk on his kitchen floor. Again.

He was still really conflicted about what had happened and, while he now understood Hank's reasons for being upset, he didn't really know why he'd also gotten so mad that he just stormed out. He needed advice and the only person he could think to ask about his feelings was Markus. He had a partner and a human father-figure, if anyone knew what to do about confusing feelings and human oddities it would be him.

CyberLife had been turned over to the androids after the peace talks and was currently the world headquarters for the Android Embassy with Markus as the head ambassador. Josh, North, and Simon all had jobs within the Embassy, though Simon was Markus's right hand man. The two were rarely apart.

Connor knocked politely and, after a short moment, was greeted by Markus's calm voice: "Come in.” When he did, he found (not surprisingly) the two of them standing by the desk with a sly grin on Markus's face and Simon staring at his feet. 

Connor only caught the end of Simon's protesting comment: "... and you didn't tell me." Markus just chuckled and pulled Simon into a loving kiss.

It was sweet to see the way they removed their skin as they interlaced their fingers, the way they glowed when they held each other.

"I couldn't resist stealing a few kisses before he got here. Sorry."

Simon just ducked his head again and, without saying anything else, moved to defiantly steal Markus's chair. Markus grinned, slid onto the edge of the desk, and looked back to Connor. "Good morning, Connor. You said you needed advice?"

Connor ignored the warmth on his face and nodded. "Hank, my partner at work, and I have been having problems, actually." He explained what happened the day before in detail.

"Ah." Markus frowned slightly, recalling a similar moment from his past. "Humans don't always follow logical rules; they are complicated. Sometimes they say they want something and they don't, and other times they don't say what they want at all. Carl always told me he hated to lose at chess, but every time I'd lose on purpose he'd get even angrier. He'd admit it didn't make sense, or it wasn't fair, but that was still how he was. He wanted me to play my best, even though it meant he would probably lose." His fingers tapped against the desk thoughtfully. "Just be direct with your partner - if you're ready to be - and hopefully he'll meet you halfway."

Direct with Hank? That would mean figuring out all the weird chest pains, and how he was always worrying about the older man, and the blushing and -- oh no. "Marcus, can I ask a personal question?" he said after a few quiet moments.

"Of course." 

"How did you know that you were interested in Simon?" His blush betrayed him yet again. Damnit. He had no experience with any of these feelings. It made him feel vulnerable and he hated it… but he needed answers.

"That's... hmm." He glanced over at Simon who arched a brow at him in response. They'd never discussed this out loud, but Markus could still remember clearly the moment that he knew he loved Simon. "You remember when we infiltrated Stratford Tower and sent that broadcast?"

Connor grimaced and nodded. He'd had his heart ripped out that day, it was hard to forget it.

"Simon had been injured by the SWAT team and we... we had no choice but to leave him up there." As Markus spoke, Simon abandoned the chair and moved back around the desk. Without saying anything he put his arms around Markus and Markus, sighing softly, continued. "When I jumped without him, I felt like I'd left everything good about the world up there on the roof with him. I didn't realize how hollow I felt until he made it back to me." He wrapped his arms around Simon now and cradled him close. "Life isn't worth living until you have found something worth dying for."

"Thank you, Markus, you've given me something to think about. I'll see myself out." Connor nodded to the both of them and left the room feeling somewhat stunned. All of this information would be a lot to process.

"You think he'll be okay?" asked Simon, looking concerned.

"I have faith in him." answered Markus.

 

***

Back at his apartment, Connor tried to sort through the information Markus had given him. He kept thinking of all the ways Simon and Markus were so easily physical with each other. He tried to picture himself and Hank instead. Hank, his eyes soft and warm, coming to him and embracing him gently. Not letting go. Tipping his chin upward just slightly and pressing his lips to Connor's - he felt something inside his chest ache again, but this time it was a pleasant feeling. He _wanted_ this.

He’d never even pictured intimacy in this way, there just hadn’t been a reason before. He hadn’t been close with anyone… Anyone other than Hank, anyway. He'd come to appreciate the compassionate friendliness that his partner hid from mostly everyone. Underneath all that cursing and bravado was someone who just simply cared.

Connor was only just realizing now that what he really wanted the whole time was Hank.

"Shit." Connor said out loud to no one.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Gasoline_ **   
_Chapter Six_

It was evening and Connor was ringing Hank's doorbell for the fifth time. There was still no answer. He really didn't want to break a window again. He knew Hank usually kept the door locked but he tried it anyway. It swung open easily. Unlocked. Sighing, Connor entered the house.

Hank was passed out on the sofa and Sumo was happily laying on top of him. When he saw Connor he let out a low woof and began to ferociously wag his tail; the great oaf of a guard dog.

"Sumo, here," he called the dog and it happily bounded over to him. He couldn’t imagine that had been comfortable for the older man, but he showed no signs of waking up or caring. Shaking his head, he patted Sumo and went to the side of the sofa. 

Hank was snoring away happily, surrounded again by numerous empty bottles but thankfully no revolver. From the looks of it he’d just passed out while drinking with Sumo and watching TV. The android was just grateful he hadn’t been trying to drink himself to death - not after the argument they had had about Connor valuing his own life. For now, he’d let him sleep and clean up a bit.

He gathered up the bottles, placed them in the recycling, and fed Sumo. Something about the domesticity made him feel oddly satisfied. By the time he got back from walking Sumo he had begun to smile to himself — and then he walked back inside. Hank was awake and looked just as disgruntled as he had when he’d left Connor’s apartment the night before.

"Why'd you steal my dog?" he asked when Connor entered with Sumo. 

"He needed to go for a walk." Connor said simply as he hung up the dog’s leash. Sumo plodded to his favorite spot by the tv and collapsed in a heap, content that both of his favorite people were finally home.

"Oh,” was all he had to say in response.

Hank wasn’t fully awake yet, but his head was already starting to pound. "Wait, why are you here? You didn't come in through the window again, didya?"

"No, you left the door unlocked." Connor answered as he headed straight for the kitchen. His throat felt tight when he looked at Hank. It was different being around him now. Different now that he had figured things out. He quickly poured a glass of water and grabbed some pain pills from a cabinet by the sink. He came back into the living room and put them on the now clean coffee table.

"You don't have to take care of me, Connor.” Hank grumbled before downing the pills and the cup of water. “Or clean my house. And take my dog out."

"I don't mind, lieutenant." The android replied honestly, hoping that Hank couldn't hear the catch in his voice.

He had. The older man’s brow arched slightly, but he didn’t comment on it. "You don't have to call me that when we're not at work, Con." He rubbed the back of his neck. For some reason he felt more awkward around him. Oh. Right. Because he'd stormed out of his apartment and stumbled home to drink it out of his memory. It had worked... Briefly. He coughed. "Still didn't answer me, about why you're here?"

"You do have a history of passing out on floors. And I still think we need to talk." Connor took a seat on the other end of the sofa, trying not to fidget nervously. The newer, deviant part of him was thrilled that he figured out that he wanted to be closer with Hank, but the more logical side of himself was well aware that rejection was an option. He couldn't even run the statistical probabilities .. not enough information.

Hank groaned. He was just going to ignore that passing out comment, and the hangover headache. “For chrissakes, Connor. What more do you want me to say? You just... I just want you to promise me that you'll be more careful…” The grizzled detective ran his hand through his hair and his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Be more Connor and less... the android sent by CyberLife, yeah?" Thoughtlessly he reached up and tousled Connor's hair.

When Hank touched his hair, it was like a current ran through his body all the way to his toes. Connor tensed up and forced out what he thought might be a coherent reply. "R-right. I completely agree. I will be more thoughtful about my safety next time."

Connor's stutter wasn't lost on Hank, nor was the way he stiffened. What had gotten into him? He gave his head a light pat before pulling his hand away and leaning back into the sofa. "There. That wasn't so hard." He paused, watching Connor from the corner of his eye, then turned back to the android. "I'm sorry, though... For getting so fired up at you. I saw that gun pointed at your head and I..." He cleared his throat. "I was worried. That's all."

The two parts of Connor fought for dominance inside of him, but the logical side unfortunately won out. He wasn't ready to tell Hank anything yet. "I apologize for worrying you." he answered with a soft smile, forcing his body to relax.

"Good!" He winced at the volume of his own voice. "Now we can stop talking about feelings! But, ahh.. If you wanna hang around here, I'm just gonna put a game on."

"Sure," Connor answered. At least Hank wasn't mad at him anymore. As for the other thing, he cringed to himself, that was on hold… maybe indefinitely.

 

***

An agonizing two weeks had passed before anything happened with the case. Connor was frantic. Now that his mind had filed away his issues with Hank for later, he was back to obsessing over his job. Apparently, the suspect's run-in with Connor must have scared him off for awhile. He wasn't keeping to his usual schedule of murders and they still had no idea when and where he would strike next.

Then he was back. 

This time he had murdered a woman in a middle-class neighborhood but it wasn’t just an execution this time: there was rage involved. Without his usual MO they hadn’t been put on the case right away. Not until the ballistics came back and they realized the same gun from their previous cases had been used in this murder as well. Connor ran a hand through his hair with a frown, staring at the terminal and trying to piece everything together. Aside from the gun, everything about this homicide was different.

**Flora Hayes**   
_Human Female; Age 26; Occupation: Waitress._

Another human female murdered in her own home. She had been on her way out for her shift at a nearby diner and they’d found her body when her concerned boyfriend had come to check on her. Unlike the previous murders, this wasn’t an execution. She’d been strangled and then shot multiple times - clearly a rage driven murder. If the same gun hadn’t been used they never would have connected these cases, so what had changed?

Hank returned then, having retrieved the victim’s boyfriend from the foyer. “Connor, this is Kellen, Ms. Hayes’s boyfriend. Kellen, this is my partner, Connor.”

Reaching up to shake hands with the person Hank brought in, Connor met their eyes and was surprised to see another android before him. He was distraught, his LED seemingly stuck on yellow; he seemed like he'd been crying as well.

Brushing off the initial shock, he shook hands politely with Kellen and motioned for him to have a seat at the chair between his and Hank's desks.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Hank began softly, "but we need to ask you a few questions and then you can get out of here."

"Okay." said Kellen, his voice cracking slightly.

"Did Flora have any enemies?"

"N-no .. my Flora is -" he choked, " _was_ the sweetest thing, I can't imagine why anyone would do this to her." Kellen's LED rolled to red and back to yellow as he swallowed hard. "We've only been dating the past few months but .. it's been amazing."

"Had she mentioned any odd things at work? Strange customers, maybe? Altercations?" Connor spoke up.

The other android paused for a moment and then looked puzzled. "Oh, yes, there was one thing a week ago. A man harassed her at work. I had dropped her off and I guess he had seen me because he came into the diner and was yelling at her, telling her she had betrayed her "true people" and some other nonsense like that. He was asked to leave and he didn't cause any more problems, so we didn't report it."

"Did Flora tell you what the man looked like?"

"She said he was bundled up in generic black cold weather gear, so there wasn't anything very outstanding about him." Kellen recalled. "I know the diner has cameras though, if that helps. They might still have the footage."

"That does help, Kellen. Thank you so much for your time. I think that's all I need to ask you." Hank replied, genuinely.

"Please ... find this man .. before he does this to anyone else's Flora." the other android was clearly fighting back tears, and left before either of them could answer.

Connor felt his chest and throat tighten up at Kellen's grief. He felt personally responsible for not having caught the killer yet, despite logically knowing he was doing the best he could.

"Con?" Hank asked, suddenly beside him. He rested a hand on Connor's shoulder.

"I just want to catch this creep, Hank." he said in response to his partner's concern. He gritted his teeth as his emotions shifted to anger.

***

They got in contact with the diner and luckily they did still have the footage from a week ago. The owners sent it electronically to them and Connor went through it at his desk. He repeatedly watched the clip of the man who harassed Flora. He was wearing similar clothes to the suspect that Connor had chased down before. But in the footage, he was very careful about not looking at any of the cameras. He just got in Flora's face, screaming at her until someone else intervened. 

Connor pulled up the footage of the people from the bank who had harassed the first victim, Sheryl. There were a few they couldn't find to talk to. One of those few was a man who looked like the man in the diner footage.

"Androids were the link all along, of course." Connor mumbled.

"What's that, kid?" Hank asked.

"It's not like I didn't have my suspicions, but I know we were having trouble understanding how he chose his victims before. The common thread is always androids. The first victim worked alongside androids. The second one gave money to android charities. The third was a laborer who had hired androids. And, Flora. Well, she was dating one." he bit his lip hard. "He's punishing humans who don't hate androids."

"This guy must not think much of us then," commented Hank with a scoff.

"That's very likely, lieutenant." the android replied.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I will update every other day because Hank and I literally have another finished AU and we are writing a third, so I want to get stuff out there and posted. Thanks for all the lovely comments, you guys keep us going!

**_Gasoline_ **   
_Chapter Seven_

Hank had just settled into his couch after getting home when his phone rang. He grumbled but became concerned when Connor's name came up on the screen.

"Connor?" he asked as he picked up.

"Hank .. I think I need you to come to my apartment." Connor's voice was even, but the older man could hear something akin to panic in it.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I believe someone broke in."

For a moment, Hank felt his heart freeze up in his chest. He tried to assure himself this wasn't connected to the case and it was probably random. "..I'll be right there."

***

Connor paced around the small apartment, mentally calculating what had been disturbed, though he noticed there was nothing missing. He had felt safe before in his home. It was a bit lonely, but it was still his space. Not anymore. He sighed.

There was a knock at the door and he almost jumped.

Even though it only took him thirty seconds to answer the door, Hank looked like he'd been left to wait for thirty minutes. He was tapping his foot impatiently when Connor opened the door, and didn't wait to be invited in before pushing in past him.

"Are you okay?" The older man swept the room with his gaze, and Connor had a feeling that he'd do a physical check once he had answered. "Are you sure whoever did this is gone?"

"I believe this occurred hours ago, actually, so they are long gone. There's no fingerprints and my door lock was hacked." the android said. "I also found this among my things." He thrust a piece of paper at Hank that simply said "Stop your investigation." It was written in perfect CyberLife Sans.

"Now an android is involved too?" Hank groaned. "This case is a fucking headache." It was much easier to complain about the case than consider that Connor was being targeted by a serial killer. "I'm going to call the precinct to come collect any evidence and _you_ are coming to my house for the time being."

"Are you sure, lieutenant?" Connor questioned. Actually, he had been avoiding spending time with Hank outside of work for a bit. Whenever they were alone, he had a hard time thinking about anything other than his attraction to the older man. And Connor was still terrified to face those feelings head on.

Hank just rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm sure. You won't be safe here. I don't know how they figured out your address, but at least if we're together, I can keep an eye on you."

Connor seemed reluctant but agreed. This made Hank worry that he had done something to piss off the android but he couldn't focus on his spiraling self-esteem issues right now. He needed Connor safe first ... then he could tear himself to pieces.

***

Was it this awkward the last time Hank had Connor over? He didn't think so, but he also recalled being pretty hungover... Actually, scratch that thought. Yeah, it had been that awkward but he'd been so hungover he'd only thought about his migraine after the fact.

They'd been watching TV in near silence for at least one quarter of the game.

Fuck. Had he done something shitty to Connor and managed to forget about it entirely? Probably. Damnit. That sounded like something he'd do. This thought was followed immediately by the not-so-kosher realization that Connor hadn't brought an overnight bag or anything.

"Hey... Didn't you need anything from your apartment?"

"Oh. Shit." Connor murmured. "Actually, I didn't take anything because it's all technically evidence. They threw all of my clothing onto the floor."

And now Hank was picturing him naked again. Perfect. "You want something of mine to wear tonight?"

"Uh-- oh," Connor looked away, trying to be casual about the blush spreading across his face. "That would be fine."

Hank nodded. "Alright, no problem. I can grab you a shirt." Why was the kid blushing? "Hey, I've been meaning to ask." He grumbled beneath his breath and then let out a frustrated sigh. "Is everything okay? You've been quieter than usual, not nearly as many personal questions... I just," he made another awkward growling sound, "--if I was an ass then I'm sorry."

The android's eyes widened. "No, I'm not mad at you, you didn't do anything wrong, Hank. I've just been really focused on the case." He smiled awkwardly and hoped that sounded true.

"Well... That's good. I mean, that I didn't do anything wrong." His brows knit together briefly, before he shook his head and stood up from the sofa. Something still felt off but he couldn't put a finger on it. Whatever. He reached down and patted Connor on the head. "Remember what I said about not taking the case home?"

Hank didn't wait for an answer; he'd been a detective long enough that he knew what Connor would say. Instead he went into his bedroom, selected some ancient but still relatively intact band tee, and returned to Connor.

"Here. Er... If you need boxers or anything... there are clean ones in the dresser. Help yourself." He never thought he'd be saying that to Connor.

"I believe mine will suffice. Thank you, though." the android gripped the shirt tightly as Hank turned back to the tv. Now he had to make a decision. It's not like he'd been shy about changing clothes in front of Hank before, but now it was different. But if he left the room, wouldn't that be more suspicious? Would it hurt Hank's feelings? In the end, he decided he would just get it over with as quickly as possible.

Connor stood and faced away from the sofa slightly, unable to stop the stupid blushing from turning his whole face red. He dropped his jacket on the arm of a nearby chair before unbuttoning and kicking off his pants as quickly as he could without seeming anxious. He undid his tie and fumbled with the buttons on his shirt next, adding them to the growing pile of clothes. He quickly pulled the t-shirt on. But as he did, he could smell it and it was _so good_. It smelled just like Hank. He clutched the hem of it uneasily. He knew coming here would be hell.

How had Hank wound up staring at Connor undressing again?

His mouth had gone dry the instant he'd heard clothes hitting the chair and he realized the android was stripping again. Well, shit. Connor probably didn't think anything of it but his mind was a fucking gutter. Or, he thought? For some reason there was something different about watching him undress this time. He looked more flustered than he had last time when he'd been very precise.

Hank jerked his gaze away the moment that he realized he was staring and aware that Connor might actually be nervous. Was he making him nervous? Was he right from the beginning that Connor knew he'd been watching last time and now he thought he was a tremendous perv?

If dying right then were an option, he might've actually taken it. It wasn't. So he pretended, loudly, to be really interested in a very mediocre play.

Connor breathed a sigh of relief when he turned back and saw Hank was focused on the tv and not him. He quickly sat back down and tried to fight the overwhelming urge to bury his face in the t-shirt and smell it deeply. That would be weird .. right?

Despite pretending to be watching the game, Hank still found himself eyeing Connor. The android tugged at the hem of the too-large shirt as he tried to figure out what to do with himself and then curled up on the sofa only to be immediately drowned in the extra fabric. It was big on him, it looked ridiculous. Ridiculous and adorable. Hank couldn't take his eyes off of him, couldn't resist the way his heart pounded when he watched him... and then Connor buried his nose in the shirt and inhaled deeply.

He was instantly hard.

The older cop stood up abruptly, his back to Connor. When the boy made a noise of surprise, he waved over his shoulder as casually as he could. "Gotta piss!" It was too loud to be casual but, uh, maybe Connor wouldn't notice. He just had to get into the bathroom and give himself a moment to breathe, then he could think rationally about what all this meant.

Connor panicked. Had he noticed? He noticed. Oh no. He couldn't _help_ it, he had to do it. And it did smell even better. It was just like Hank was holding him close; it was perfect. Ugh, why was he always fucking up this human thing? And the worst part is, there wasn't even anywhere to escape to if he wanted to hide. He fidgeted nervously.

There was no way to fucking salvage this. Every time Hank managed to calm himself down he started thinking about going back out there to that boy in nothing but his shirt and it all went back downhill. He was a damned pervert to be having such thoughts about Connor when Connor trusted him. In the end he went straight from the bathroom to his bedroom before calling out:

"I'm going to bed early, okay? Just... make yourself comfortable."

Then he retreated like the coward he was.

"Okay." Connor managed to call out before folding his arms in on himself and tucking into the smallest corner of the couch. Being a deviant was ... difficult.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to give everyone a little heads up that there's sex (finally?? lol) in this chapter. Just in case. Enjoy. (:

**_Gasoline_ **   
_Chapter Eight_

Coming out of rest mode, Connor blinked a few times. The morning sun was coming through the blinds in such a way that it fell across his face. He sat up, uncurling himself from the spot he'd been lying in. It had been nice to go through data for awhile, and not feel emotions. But he couldn't stay that way. Today was at least a Saturday, and he hoped they'd have no reason to get called into work. He definitely needed some time to figure things out. Sumo came over to him and stuck his head on the sofa and he petted the dog while trying to sort out what to do about the night before.

Hank didn't want to get out of bed, but he knew if he laid around for too long Sumo would start making a fuss. Not to mention he'd sort of bailed on Connor last night and he still felt like a giant heel for doing it. With a groan he dragged himself out of bed and stumbled toward the kitchen.

If he was going to face the day with any sort of competence then he needed coffee.

As he passed through the kitchen he glanced over to the sofa to see Connor blinking sleepily. His stomach twisted. So cute. He turned away and turned the coffee pot on. Sumo came into the kitchen and looked at him expectantly.

"Did you... Do you sleep?" Hank's words were slurred with tiredness, but he at least sounded more relaxed than he felt. "And has Sumo already eaten? He's in here looking at me like he hasn't, but he's never had two marks to con before."

"Yes, I have a sleep function. I'm not resting like a human, but I am unaware of outside stimuli until I awaken." Connor responded. "And no, I just woke up. I can feed him though if you want." The android quietly came into the kitchen, his hair a little messy and the shirt hanging off his shoulder, exposing his collarbone just slightly.

Hank turned to see Connor and his breath caught in his throat. Fuck. Shit. He turned back toward the coffee maker, fingers clutching the edge of the counter. "Yeah, that'd be good. Thanks." He'd never been upset about how quickly his coffee finished, but by the time the beverage had been brewed there was still no way to escape the kitchen without acknowledging Connor.

Why was Connor so damned cute?

He grabbed the mug and turned around to watch Connor give Sumo a pat before bending over to pour food in the dog's bowl. So now, as was his luck, he was staring at the android and thinking eloquent things like: what would it feel like to grab Connor's ass?

Unable to distract himself any longer with his task, Connor stood, his throat tight again as he faced Hank. "Lieutenant, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Uh, sure, Connor." He took a sip of the coffee - still way too hot - and coughed in regret.

"You seemed upset last night. I know I'm not good at this human thing and I was just concerned that I did something wrong." Connor bit his lip. There were other things he wanted to discuss, but he had to clear this up first.

Hank knew this would come back to bite him in the ass. He set the cup down and crossed his arms, torn between honesty and defensive anger. "No..." He struggled with his words for a moment, trying to find the right ones. "No, you didn't do anything wrong." The older man looked over at Connor, attempting to study him without his mind rushing into the gutter. "Consider it a human malfunction, or something... but it's not... your fault."

He was so great at this being open thing. He was probably winning awards right now. Frowning to himself, he grabbed up his coffee and took a deep gulp. The burning helped.

"Would--" began Connor, his voice cracking. He choked on the words trying to come out of his mouth. This was such a bad time, probably the worst time to admit to this but it was spilling out now before he could rethink anything. "Would it be awful if I was attracted to you?"

Hank choked on his gulp of coffee, nearly snorted the bitter shit out his nose, and managed to slam the mug, rather messily, onto the table. "Christ, Connor! What?" He looked cornered, glancing around the room at anything but Connor. Was he hearing things? Was Connor fucking with him? "No! It wouldn't be awful, just ridiculous!" The older man ran his hand through his mess of gray hair. "What would you even see in me!?"

Connor's brows furrowed. "I see everything in you. I wouldn't be where I am without you." His insides felt twisted, like his wires had tangled up or something. The feeling was painful and sudden. Emotions were so utterly tied to physical reactions. He placed a hand around his abdomen as if that might stop the pain.

Hank froze. He could have handled this being a cruel joke, or just Connor fucking around or something, but the boy looked honestly _hurt_. That was something he couldn't handle.

"Con..." He reached out and grabbed the android lightly by the shoulders. Surprise filled Connor’s eyes as his gaze shot up to meet the lieutenant’s. ”You can't be serious, right? I'm an ancient alcoholic piece of shit, there's nothing I've got that you can't find elsewhere." Was he really saying that out loud? None of this made sense. "I'm not worth your interest, kid."

He realized that the older man hadn’t outright rejected him; he was just too busy being incredulous to listen. A faint spark of hope flashed in Connor's heart. "I don't want to look elsewhere, I want you."

Hank was clearly at a loss. "...Why?" The man didn't realize he was shaking until he noticed his hand trembling on Connor's shoulder. Fuck. He'd been avoiding this sort of thing for years now and somehow Connor had just wandered into his house and fucked it all up. His controlled slide into oblivion had been fucked up ever since this damn android had bought him a drink in Jimmy's Bar.

Hank pulled back and folded his arms across himself, defensive and wary.

_Why?_ Connor echoed the question back to himself. There wasn't a singular reason. There were so many reasons. An infinity of reasons. “I thought it was obvious. My only doubt was that you might not reciprocate.”

Hank was utterly dumbfounded. This was the last thing he'd been expecting this morning. He had planned to come out, tell Connor to stop sniffing his shirts in front of him, then pretend like nothing had ever happened. Instead he was standing in his kitchen with his heart in his throat trying to think of how to get Connor to back down without breaking the kid’s heart.

"Con, I..." This was way too much to process. "Of course I... Shit... What am I supposed to say to all this? You're young, and gorgeous... and I'm... Look at me! I'm just an old pervert!"

Connor shook his head, his insides still feeling like they'd been ripped out. "Hank, I don't care about any of that. I just want an answer. Please."

Hank shook his head. He wanted to say a lot of things, he wanted to push Connor away, to stay in his safe bubble of self-loathing and indifference, but Connor had been fucking that up from day one. "I don't get it, Connor, but..." He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Alright." When he opened his eyes again, he reached out for the android. "I won't blame you if you change your mind when you see there's nothing to this crush of yours."

He wasn't sure what it would take to change his lieutenant's mind, but he was at least going to try. Remaining silent, Connor pushed himself into Hank's arms, wrapping his own around the older man. He breathed in deeply, the scent even more intoxicating when it wasn't being diluted by the shirt. Hank was frozen in the moment, shocked by Connor’s eager acceptance, until he did the dumbest thing he could think of: he kissed the android.

Connor felt that same strange current run through his body when their lips met. His abdomen twisted again -- but this time in a pleasant way. Heat ran through him. He pressed into the kiss, absolutely unsure what to do, but clear on what he wanted.

Hank's poorly handled restraint was officially broken. He pressed a knee between Connor's thighs and pushed the boy until he was back against the counter. "I've been wanting to do this for a very long time." He muttered, cheeks hot, as he reached down to very firmly grab Connor's ass.

Connor gasped sharply as Hank assaulted most of his senses all at once. It was difficult to process all the new feelings running through him. It was honestly as if his programming was suddenly being rewritten all at once. It wasn't as if he was unaware of how human relationships work but he’d had no idea what sex was like when it was connected to emotion.

Feeling Hank pressed up against him made him realize he had vastly underestimated how badly his partner wanted him - and how long Hank must have been holding back his feelings.

"Fuck, Connor..." The older man growled against Connor's lips as he continued to fondle the boy's ass. "Are you sure this is what you want because... I don't know how much self restraint I have left in me." He kissed him again as his hands moved from Connor's ass to his hips. Even as he was waiting for a response he was shifting the android onto the counter to give himself access to his boxers. "I'll stop now," he swallowed, "if it's too much."

"N-no, I want this," he insisted. The blush had kicked in again; he felt vulnerable and awkward in this state. All the new sensations flooding his system were overwhelming his body, but he felt safe. Hank wouldn't let anything bad happen. "Keep going." he licked his lips and pushed his legs apart.

Hank felt his face flood with heat. God, Connor was hot, so fucking hot. What did he see in a grizzled old man? He pushed the thought aside and focused instead on the boy on his counter. He removed Connor's boxers and paused to admire how very realistic Connor really was. "Impressive,” he whistled softly. 

He wrapped his hand around Connor's cock and gave it a teasing squeeze before beginning to stroke the android. Connor moaned and curled his fingers around the edge of the counter.

"You said exactly the same as a human?" Hank asked; he had wanted to know since that night, but how could you tell your partner that you'd been fantasizing about their ass for weeks?

"Y-yes," he answered, "exactly." — Not that Connor had ever had a chance to try any of this before. He squirmed slightly on the hard surface, his hips wanting to move upward into the motions.

Hank bit his lip slightly. So fucking sexy. How had he gotten so lucky? As Connor squirmed, Hank brought up his other hand and pressed it to the tight pucker of the android's ass. He didn't take his eyes off Connor for a second as he pressed two of his fingers up to the first knuckles. Connor inhaled sharply; it felt like fire rushing through every part of him and he realized that maybe he should have done a little more research into this beforehand. It was much, much too late at this point. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open; he couldn't pull up research materials.

Connor’s ass easily took in his fingers. Hank’s chest heaved at the sight of Connor’s eyes half closed with pleasure, and he thrust up inside him - searching for the android's prostate, or whatever equivalent they had potentially built into him. The response was instantaneous. Connor shuddered and his hips bucked against Hank’s fingers as a moan escaped his lips. "F-fuck," he choked out. "W-what?"

Hank chuckled. "You really were built the same." He leaned in to kiss the boy as he began to massage his prostate while continuing to pump his cock. He was pleased to find his fingers could slide smoothly inside Connor's ass. Okay, maybe he could see the appeal of fucking androids. "Self-lubricating too?" He ran his tongue over his teeth and curiously pressed in a third finger. Connor made a precious little noise in response as Hank drove all three fingers in against his prostate. "I can't believe you're even more beautiful than I imagined." He muttered against the android's lips before kissing him again.

Connor moaned into it, his body aching and unsatisfied. "M-more, Hank, harder!” he heard himself begging when the kiss broke. It was as if he'd lost control of his body -- but he liked it. Hank groaned, obediently fucking Connor harder with his fingers.

_More_. He liked the way that sounded coming from Connor's lips. He pushed his boxers down off his hips, revealing his aching need for the pretty little brunette. In a smooth motion he slid his fingers out and buried his cock into the boy's greedy hole. 

As he thrust inside Connor for the first time he caught the boy by the hips and dragged him in as close as he could. "Don't hold back, Con..." That was all the warning he gave before he began to fuck him - rough and hard, but always keeping an eye on his lover. Whenever Connor seemed a little too overwhelmed he eased up, gave him a second to breathe, then hammered him again. He was going to draw this out for as long as he could hang in there himself.

Gripping onto the older man's shoulders tightly, Connor dug his nails in with each thrust. All the sounds coming from his mouth were involuntary. He hadn't expected how absolutely satisfying it was to feel Hank inside of him. To hear his partner's sounds of pleasure. To feel hot breath against his cool skin, like flames devouring every inch of him. "So c-close," he managed to force out.

Connor definitely didn't hold back. His gorgeous lover was inexperienced but not nearly as naive as he'd anticipated. "Fuck, Connor.” He moaned against his partner's lips. Hank drove himself against that delicate sensor that had made his Connor moan so nicely the first time, over and over again as he was assailed by the force of his own orgasm. He'd been holding this back for way too long.

The warm rush of Hank’s come filling up his ass forced Connor to finish as well, trembling as sticky fluid covered the front of the t-shirt he’d never removed. He gulped in air, not needing it, but feeling as if it were necessary. Hank pulled out of him with a grunt. The sticky substance dripped gently from between Connor’s thighs. Curiously, he pressed two fingers to it, and then brought them to his mouth to taste it. 

Hank might have protested if he'd been a little less worn out. Instead, he found himself staring hungrily at Connor as he watched the boy taste Hank’s come for himself. "I think can get used to you licking _that_ up." As he spoke, he ran a finger over the sticky come-like substance smeared on Connor's shirt. With a smirk he mimicked Connor's action and brought his fingers to his lips to taste Connor. See how _he_ liked it.

Connor's eyes widened at first but then he just tilted his head with a smirk. "Is it good?"

Hank ran his tongue over his lips and sucked his fingers clean of Connor's come. "Better than I expected," he laughed before leaning in to kiss the android again. "Everything about you is better than I expected..."

Smiling widely, Connor quickly ran some numbers in his head. He had plenty of data now. "By the way lieutenant, I don't believe this is just a crush. In fact, I'm 98.7% certain that I'm in love with you."

Hank’s grin faded though he laughed nervously. “You would drop the l-word like that.” Sex was one thing, but love was something else entirely. He struggled with himself for a second, torn between not wanting to hurt Connor and the reality that he was no good for him. The sooner Connor figured that out, the better it would be for him.

Then Sumo jumped up and landed a massive paw in the middle of Hank’s back.

“Sumo! No, down, bad!” Hank sputtered in surprise, thoughtlessly bracing himself against the cabinets above Connor to ensure he wasn't hurt. Saved by good ol’ Sumo and his stubbornly kept schedule. Unaware of his new hero status, Sumo just settled into a good long whine. “Fuck, alright. You need your walk, you big oaf.” Hank pulled away from the counter as he rubbed his spine. “Fuck.” 

Connor laughed, for the first time in what felt like awhile. “I guess we shouldn’t have ignored him for so long.”

God, he was beautiful. It took Hank a second to regain his composure so that he could nod. “Yeah. I should probably take him out.” He leaned in to kiss him again. “You’re not allowed to change until I get back, got it?”

“Got it,” Connor replied with a blush. “Can I at least clean the counter?”

Hank shook his head but laughed. “Yeah, Con, you can clean the counter.” With that he retreated from the kitchen to go throw on something mildly more protective for a February morning and dragged Sumo out for a brisk walk. At least his head would be nice and crisp by the time he got back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More porn, also plot, so porn with plot? Harharhar. (:

**_Gasoline_ **   
_Chapter Nine_

When Hank returned with Sumo the kitchen was politely cleaned up and Connor was nowhere to be seen. He hung up the dog’s leash, sent him to go snooze in his spot, and wandered into his bedroom. As he’d hoped, Connor was there waiting for him and he was still wearing just the t-shirt.

“Good boy,” he called playfully as he shut the door behind him.

Connor blushed deeply, the phrase sending waves of pleasure through him. He wanted to hear more praise from his new lover. He sprawled out on the bed, watching Hank with hungry eyes as the older man stripped off his own clothes. It frustrated him that Hank couldn’t see what he did. Not just his compassionate nature underneath all the grumbling; but the way his silver hair brushed his jawline, just so. The way his eyes were so warm and soft when they looked at Connor; the line and curves of his body, the feeling of his beard bristling against the android’s skin when they kissed. It was all .. well .. to Connor? It was all he ever wanted.

Hank didn’t bother finding fresh underclothes, with Connor in his bed he couldn’t see the point. Especially not with his cheeks flushed pink again. Why did Connor make his heart pound so desperately? He felt like a teenager around him. Letting out a soft sigh, Hank slipped into the bed and gave the shirt Connor was wearing a tug. “You could’ve taken the shirt off, you know. I just didn’t want you getting any ideas about getting dressed just yet.”

“You said not to change, lieutenant, I was simply following orders.” Connor replied.

Hank narrowed his eyes, something about Connor’s tone was _too_ innocent. “First - you don’t have to keep calling me lieutenant. Second - you don’t have to just follow orders.” He gave the shirt another tug, and completely disregarded his own words. “Off.”

Removing the shirt, Connor tossed it aside and tilted his head thoughtfully. “I like calling you that.” he admitted.

Hank blushed. He hadn’t really anticipated Connor saying that. “Oh.” It was clear that the older man was struggling with his thoughts and the words he wanted to say. Doubt was also creeping back in now that he’d given himself time to question how wonderful this all was. If Connor had been anyone else, he’d have been waiting for the punchline about now. He opened his mouth uselessly, shut it, and then reached out to pull Connor into his arms.

Connor eagerly embraced his lieutenant back and pushed his face against the older man’s chest, breathing in deeply. He could tell Hank was struggling with words though. “Something wrong?” he asked, placing a kiss along Hank’s collarbone to try to make him more open to talking.

Hank shuddered when Connor kissed him. Fuck. “No. I’m just having trouble believing that this is actually happening.” He gently reached down and tilted Connor’s chin up so that he could kiss him. “You don’t know how long I’ve fantasized about having you like this - naked, in my bed… It doesn’t seem real.”

“I’m here,” Connor answered against the other man’s lips. “But to be honest, I’m also having trouble reconciling this with my own fantasies.”

For a second Hank couldn’t meet Connor’s gaze and a smile tried to tug its way onto his lips. “Oh?”

“Well, yes. It took me awhile to figure out, but I’ve wanted to tell you how I felt for weeks now. In that time I had envisioned some .. scenarios.” the android also darted his eyes away from Hank’s face. His ideas had always been a little vague because he’d been running on his feelings and not his physical responses; but when Hank had been gone just now, he’d finally had time to do some research and he felt that he was now better prepared.

Hank ran his tongue over his lips, trying to keep from seeming overeager. “Well, now I’m curious.” He ran a hand down Connor’s back and settled it on the android’s firm but wonderfully soft butt. “What kind of scenarios have you been imagining?”

“Ahn—“ the sound escaped Connor before he could stifle it. The blush returned to his face. “I mean—“ he stammered out. “Nothing explicit .. though I did look up some information while you were out. I was very uneducated before.”

The sound Hank made was terribly unrefined. What could his polite and put together partner see in someone like him? “Heh. Connor, were you watching porn while I was walking Sumo?” He gave Connor’s ass a squeeze. “So did you find anything that caught your eye?” It was his turn to blush. “I’ve always wondered what you were actually into.”

“I’m not quite sure what would be most pleasing to me yet.” Connor frowned slightly but then perked up when a thought crossed his mind. “What about you, Hank? You have experience with this. What would like me to do?” His voice was dripping with fake innocence again. Connor had already been throughly corrupted now.

The coy little brat. That wasn’t the answer Hank had wanted. He wanted to know what dirty little fantasies _Connor_ had been harboring and now he was back to confessing how he’d been pining after Connor’s ass for weeks. “It isn’t just about what I want,” the older man replied before leaning in to kiss Connor again, “but if you’re asking… There’s a lot of things I’d like to see you doing. Just you, naked and in my bed, is a fantasy I never thought would come true.” His kisses trailed down Connor’s chin toward his bare chest. “But especially the thought of you…” He hesitated, regained his confidence, and pushed on. “Writhing, sloppy, begging for more.” His lips paused on Connor’s nipple and he curiously ran his tongue along the nub. Would that do anything for him, Hank wondered.

“Mm,” Connor murmured gently, liking both the answer and the action. “Please do that again, lieutenant.”

Hank grinned and kissed Connor’s nipple before once again running his tongue over it. Without waiting for a proper response, he lifted a hand to flick the pad of his thumb over the sensitive flesh. Connor moaned and ground his cock against Hank’s leg. He was already hard again, of course.

The press of Connor’s erection against his leg filled Hank’s head with images of Connor writhing on his bed, calling his name, and he knew he was fucked. This boy was going to kill him, but at least he’d enjoy every second on the way out. When Connor moved to grind against him again, he reached down to press their cocks together. He grasped both in his hand and gave it a hard pump.

“Hank!” Connor gripped onto the older man’s shoulder tightly and pressed into the touch eagerly. The thought of rubbing himself against Hank’s cock turned him on more than he thought possible. 

Hank made a throaty sound of satisfaction as Connor moaned his name and continued to stroke their cocks as he rocked his hips against Connor’s eager thrusts. All the while his attention to Connor’s nipples hadn’t ceased. He pinched, rubbed, kissed, and sucked; determined to see just how much pleasure he could illicit with each little action. Connor squirmed as both of the sensations doubled the heat in his body. He made short whimpering noises as Hank teased him.

“H-Hank, fuck me, please,” Connor begged, his ass aching to be filled again.

The older man was surprised - but not at all displeased - by Connor’s begging. “Eager, aren’t we?” Instead of giving him what he asked for, he began to focus the force of his attention on their cocks. He wanted this, Connor becoming desperate and undone, and he fully intended to push him to his limits this time.

“P-please,” Connor choked again, his hips rocking into Hank’s rough hand, both of their cocks slick with pre-come.

Hank just moaned softly the more Connor pleaded. Fuck, it was hot. He couldn’t deny that he also wanted to be inside of him, pounding him senseless, but he also wanted to see how desperate Connor could get. He shifted his hand slightly so that he could run his fingers over the head of Connor’s cock. He pressed against the tip slightly, playing in the pre-come, then let his hand stroke down the length of Connor’s shaft. “I want you to come for me, just from this.” He gave their cocks another firm stroke and Connor would easily be able to feel how his hips trembled at the sensation. Hank was well worked up, but he was holding back. “Unless you can really convince me that I need to fuck you first.”

“I want to come for you,” Connor whimpered obediently. It felt so freeing to be able to give up control, even if it was only for a short while.

Hank’s heart hammered in his chest at that obedient little whimper. A part of him screamed ‘what are you doing?!’ and the rest of him just wanted to wreck this beautiful creature. The dirty devil on his shoulder was winning. He groaned with pleasure as he leaned in, lips to Connor’s ear, and whispered: “I’m going to make up for every minute I held back around you, Connor. Don’t think for a minute you’re getting off easy.”

Connor trembled at the words spoken in his ear. “Promise?” he asked, breathlessly, still rocking his hips to keep rubbing his cock against Hank’s.

“Nnn, I promise.” Hank crushed his lips to Connor’s and ground back against the boy’s eager thrusts. “Now hurry up and come for me before I lose my mind.” He added in a voice heavy with arousal.

Shuddering at the command, Connor obeyed and came. “Y-yes!” he cried out, keeping up his thrusts as he rode out the rest of the orgasm.

Connor’s cry sent a thrill up Hank’s spine, and then the boy was coming for him. The sensation of that warm stickiness splattering across his stomach and coating his hand was enough to push him over the line as well. He gasped Connor’s name against his lips as he came, milking their cocks for every last drop of come before collapsing into a satisfied heap on top of Connor. He was breathing heavily, but his face was buried against Connor’s collarbone. He kissed it tenderly.

The weight of Hank’s body on his made Connor feel safe. He ran his fingers gently up and down his lieutenant’s back and enjoyed the strange, but not unwelcome, high that he was feeling after sex. “Hank?” he questioned, thoughtfully.

Hank couldn’t remember a time he’d last felt so content. He sighed softly as Connor’s fingers ran along his back then lifted his head a little to see Connor as he spoke. “Yeah, Con?”

“How many times a day do you think we can do this?” Connor asked, his voice bright and curious.

Hank snorted and lightly punched Connor’s arm before shifting to flop onto the bed beside him. “It depends on how long this old body of mine can hold out… I’m sure you could go forever and never get tired.” The older man chuckled as he propped himself up on his side. His fingers trailed lazily through the come on Connor’s stomach. “You’ve got the computer brain, give me twenty minutes per fuck and I’ll see how many times I can pop your cork in a day.”

Connor paused. “Maybe we shouldn’t push it.” he suggested finally. “I mean, you haven’t even eaten yet today.”

Hank arched a brow at that little pause. Had he actually done the calculations? Probably. His little LED had even turned yellow for a moment. “I admit I forgot all about food… You’ve been a bit _distracting_.” As if on cue, his stomach rumbled loudly. He never thought the day would come that he cursed his 'human frailties', but choosing between his eager Connor and a meager breakfast was not a choice he actually wanted to make. "Okay, so maybe food is important."

"Do you want me to make you something after I get cleaned up?" Connor offered, sitting up.

" _Can_ you cook?" questioned Hank.

"Well, it's not in my original programming, but neither was this and I seem to be doing okay at it." Connor answered, maybe a little smug.

Hank made an over-exaggerated thinking face and then nodded in bemused defeat. “Yeah, okay,” he chuckled. “You’ve got me there.”

Connor was delighted to try his hand at something else that would please Hank. He got himself cleaned up, cheerfully acquired one of the lieutenant's shirts, and headed out to the kitchen. Hank followed after putting on boxers and a t-shirt, something for a lazy day around the house. Everything was going to end up on hold until they finished processing the scene at Connor's place.

He'd barely sat down when a cup of coffee was slid in front of him. Connor smiled, blushed, and turned to scan the fridge. "Eggs okay?"

"Yeah, do I have any left?"

"There's a couple left in the carton, and I pulled up some recipes. This should be easy!"

Oddly domestic, Hank thought to himself as he leaned back to sip his coffee. Connor looked so happy flitting about the kitchen, rattling off information about heart health and good cholesterol. Hank just smiled to himself.

As he cooked, Connor had his back turned to Hank. He was thrilled that he'd gotten what he'd wanted, but at the same time, his throat felt like his thirium pump was jammed in it. He needed answers to questions.

"So," he started, attempting to be casual as he chased the eggs around the pan. "Are we dating now?"

Hank was glad he was between sips of coffee. He didn't snort any hot liquids this time. His jaw clenched slightly as he tried to figure out the right words. "Do you want us to be dating?" Would the office be against that? Connor was his subordinate and his partner... Was there a conflict in also being his lover? The thought made his chest constrict. Why did Connor want this so badly?

"I wouldn't mind being your .. boyfriend." the android replied, reaching for a plate from the cabinet. He turned off the stove and flipped the eggs onto it. He slid the food in front of Hank and took a seat across from the older man at the table.

Hank hesitated. Boyfriend. It sounded nice, and terrifying. His chest still ached and it was growing tighter by the moment. "Connor," he started and then stopped himself. He was just going to fuck all of this up, that was just how things went with him.

"Wait." Connor fidgeted with the hem of the shirt. "I understand if you're not ready yet."

Hank wanted to disappear. Connor could probably read his emotions better than Hank himself could understand them. Benefits and downsides to a robot lover. "I don't think I am, Connor." It was hard to say something like that so honestly, but it was the least Connor deserved.

Connor nodded and then looked conflicted. "Can I still be with you?"

Hank blinked, as if Connor's words had caught him off guard. They had. "Well, yeah. Of course!" He looked frustrated for a moment as he realized his desires and his willingness to 'open up' were probably going to come to a head at some point.

The android seemed to sigh in relief and then perked up again. "Sorry, I should let you eat now." He smiled gently.

"Don't apologize..." He frowned down at the eggs. They smelled damn good to his empty stomach but at the same time his stomach was rebeling from this conversation. Regardless, he stuffed a forkfull of eggs into his mouth. It was better than the shit he'd have made for himself by a mile. "S'good!"

Connor looked pleased, and rested his elbows on the table. "I'll have to go grocery shopping later."

Hank grinned wryly, welcoming the change of topic to something less painful. "My fridge must be pitiful. I don't usually eat in anymore." Being at home, alone with only Sumo for company, it usually ended up with him drinking. 

"It is." the android confirmed, looking kind of like he was daydreaming as he wrote out some meal plans, trying to balance things Hank might like with things that would be good for him. At least he knew he could cook one dish well.

Connor seemed distant. Had he hurt him after all? The idea made his stomach clench again, so he forced himself to eat instead of think. He had half a mind to ask if something was wrong, realized that would just go terribly, and shifted his question a bit. "Got something on your mind, kid?" He grinned as he ate another mouthful. "Or you lookin' up porn again?"

Blushing deeply, Connor shook his head. "No, I was figuring out recipes. I did plenty of research earlier."

Hank laughed. "Yeah, right, 'research'."

"It was .. educational." Connor offered, turning his head away in a futile attempt to hide his face.

"I'm sure that's all it was. Just a very educational 20 minutes, here, by yourself, watching porn."

The android crossed his arms. "If you keep talking to me like that, you might not get to know what I learned."

Hank was laughing again and, for just a moment, his cheeks flushed. "I never expected you to be so... adorable."

"Yes. That's my main function. Adorable android." Connor frowned, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Hank just snorted at that and continued eating breakfast. Then there was a noise that sounded like muffled heavy metal coming from the living room.

They both looked quizzically at each other.

"Your phone!" Connor exclaimed. He dashed into the other room and unearthed the phone from somewhere in the sofa. It continued playing ear-splitting music at him. He slid back into the kitchen and handed it to Hank.

Thanks, he mouthed as he accepted the call. It was the station updating him on what they'd found when investigating Connor's apartment. A fat lot of nothing, oh, and an android seemed to be responsible. He hung up. "Guess you'll be staying here for awhile, Connor." he commented.

"I'm not objectionable to the idea." the android smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news! Hank said I can post everyday bc we have so much new content! Bad news, this chapter is kinda angsty. Uh, enjoy???
> 
>  
> 
> chapter tags: trauma flashback, suicide mention

**_Gasoline_ **  
_Chapter Ten_

Just three days after their previous investigation, they were called in to the scene of another murder. This one was unusually sloppy and clearly rage-driven. A young woman, mid thirties, had just adopted an android child -- and now she and the child were dead. Hank had waved off the concerned officer at the door, he was an experienced detective why would this scene - horrible as it was - cause him any trouble?

Hank regretted his thought almost as soon as he walked inside. Connor was calm, analytical, but his eyes kept returning to the android child. A little boy. Light brown hair. Maybe 10, tops.

Cole would've been 10 this year.

It was that simple thought that ultimately broke him. Somewhere in the house, Connor was discussing the body with an officer, but Hank was walking out the door. 

"Lieutenant?" The officer at the door called, but Hank didn't stop; he just said over his shoulder: "Gotta take a call." 

But he doesn't come back.

***

Connor had just finished detailing the case in his head, when he realized Hank had disappeared. It wasn't unusual for his partner to wander off to look at other things, but he was immediately worried. It's not like he was completely unaware of the similaries between the android child and Cole, and he knew that Hank might not take it well. He hadn't actually expected him to disappear entirely.

Leaving the investigation in the hands of the other officers, he explained it was an emergency and left as soon as he could. No doubt Hank left to drink but where was the question. He didn't always go to the same place and it wasn't like Detroit had any shortage of bars. He loosened his tie in frustration, feeling like his throat was too tight. He wasn't sure where to start and that scared him.

Luckily, the first bar within walking distance had seen him, and his car was still parked out front of the crime scene, so Hank was definitely on foot. The first bar had also kicked him out a few drinks in for starting a fight with a guy over 'something stupid'. The next bars were harder to locate with most people saying they refused to serve an already clearly intoxicated man and eventually the trail went cold. The only logical leap Connor could make was that he'd taken a taxi back to somewhere where the taps wouldn't run dry.

Home or maybe Jimmy's? Connor ran the probabilites of each and found it was more likely for him to be home. He would have liked to drive Hank's car back but his partner still had the keys.

"Shit." Connor again mumbled to no one in particular. He called himself a taxi, annoyed he couldn't have figured this out faster. Some detective he was turning out to be.

***

It took too long to get home. It felt like hours instead of the logical minutes it had taken. Time had never before seemed so painfully stretched out as it did waiting for the quiet city to pass by and the familiar scenes around Hank's home to come into view. By the time the taxi let him out, he was struggling to deal with the rush of emotions assaulting him.

The lights were on inside the house. Hank was definitely home.

He tried the door and found it locked this time. He was instantly relieved and frustrated all at once. It took another stretch of eternity to find the key Hank had given him and fumble through the locks. What was _wrong_ with him? Why couldn't he fit the key in its hole?

The lock clicked and the door flew open harder than Connor had intended it to. The resulting slam caused Sumo to jerk awake with a 'menacing' bark. Except that he immediately saw Connor and proceeded to lazily wag his tail.

"Good boy," Connor offered as he shut the door behind him.

Hank was not at the kitchen table, his usual drinking spot, or the couch, or the floor. He located the older man in the bathroom, unconscious by the toilet with a bottle of whiskey.

Connor scanned him anxiously but found no more than the usual when Hank decided to get blackout drunk; oh -- except for the black eye beginning to bloom on his face. That was new. The android couldn't sort out the swirl of emotions flowing through him right now, so he focused on the physical side of things first.

He managed to drag Hank to the bedroom and get him on the bed. He put the trashcan by the bed along with water and pills. Turning off the light, he shut the door. He then proceeded to clean the bathroom and the kitchen. And when he finally ran out of things to do, he collapsed onto the sofa.

Connor felt like he was choking on all his emotions. He was furious. He was concerned. This wasn't the first time Hank had gotten this drunk, but the realization that this wouldn't be the last either... That hurt in ways he couldn't begin to comprehend. He was afraid. He was frustrated. Why hadn't Hank said anything to him before he left? He thought they were getting closer! So why wouldn't Hank let him in?

Realizing he wasn't getting anywhere on his own, Connor sighed. He stood and stripped off his clothes, pulling on that familiar t-shirt again, though the smell this time made his throat feel tight. He curled into the sofa, a friendly reminder that he wasn't sleeping next to Hank like he had been the last few nights.

It _hurt_.

***

The next morning hit Hank like a tornado. Somewhere between being blinded by sunlight and puking into the wastebasket by the bed, Hank realized that Connor wasn't in the bed with him. That didn't make sense. For the last couple days he'd gotten accustomed to waking up with the android beside him. Now the bed felt vastly empty.

He downed the pills with the glass of water left for him, and trudged out of the room. Connor had to be somewhere. There was no way he'd been that considerate to himself during one of his benders.

The older man froze in the entry to the living room. There was Connor. He was asleep on the couch. But why?

Hank made his way to the sofa and gently placed a hand on Connor's shoulder. "Hey," the mere attempt at speaking hurt his head and he momentarily recoiled from himself, "what are you doing out here, Con?" There was still a hint of a slur in his voice, and his black eye was currently quite swollen but the lieutenant was more concerned about Connor than the fact that his face hurt.

Connor blinked, coming out of sleep mode when Hank touched him. He heard what the older man said and just looked at him blankly.

"You can't guess?" he replied, in a flat tone. His anger flared up again like he had never slept.

Hank hesitated. "Fuck." He let out a low groan and sunk to the sofa beside Connor. "That explains the eye, I suppose..." He hissed a little when he lifted a hand to the offending bruise. "Willing to fill me in?" Whatever had happened, it hadn't been good. He'd never seen Connor look so displeased with him and that alone made him feel like he was knee-deep in ice water. The fact that he was also struggling to accurately recall the night only compounded it. "We got called in on a homicide, or did I imagine that?"

"We did." Connor answered, his anger subsiding slightly into concern. He didn't really want to bring the details up again. "You left without saying anything to me."

Hank looked puzzled for a moment before his expression slowly went slack. "Right." He'd gone from flustered to pale in a heartbeat and his head spun in protest. Without saying anything, he walked into the bathroom and hurled.

It took him a couple minutes to get his composure back together, but the night suddenly made a lot more sense. He cleaned himself up and returned to the sofa like a beaten dog with its tail between its legs.

"I..." He hesitated, clearly at a loss for words.

"It's not as if I'm without sympathy, Hank but .." Connor paused, not used to treading this sort of path. He carried on. "You can't keep doing this."

"I liked it better when you were," Hank pouted. It was a lie, but he felt cornered and defensive and _guilty_. It was the first time since he'd lost Cole that he'd felt guilt for drowning his emotions. "Besides, I've cut back!"

Connor felt an expression of hurt flash across his face but he steeled himself and gritted his teeth. "You're not listening. You can't keep doing this. You're going to kill yourself."

The flicker of emotions cut worse than his self loathing. He hadn't intended to hurt anyone but himself with his bad decisions and now Connor was here... Hank crossed his arms. "I'm listening just fine." He growled. "I told you I wasn't worth your time."

Connor stood now and hoped Hank couldn't see the tears welling up in his eyes. He hated it. "Fuck, Hank, I don't know if you noticed, but I want you alive."

Hank flinched. He didn't know what to do with Connor's pain, or his love for that matter. "I warned you, Connor! I've been digging my own grave for so long, I don't know what else to do with myself."

"Can you at least think about getting help? Please?" asked Connor, his hand covering his eyes now. He looked exasperated, but he was simply hiding his face.

Getting help? He didn't need help, he needed the courage to... The thought trailed off as he stared up at Connor. It was the first time he realized he didn't _want_ to pull the trigger. See, there, he didn't need help. "Just..." He had no idea what to say, how to handle this talk. "No. I don't need it. This was just a lapse of judgement."

"Is that what you'll tell me the next time?" the android asked, still hiding his eyes. His voice was quiet now.

Hank wished he could pull Connor closer and reassure him that this wouldn't happen again, but he couldn't. They both knew he couldn't. He grit his teeth and turned his gaze away. "Probably," he confessed. "If you don't like it... then go. I told you I wouldn't hold it against you if you changed your mind." There. That was easier than facing his demons.

"I haven't changed my mind," Connor answered, but his voice broke. His face was wet and he realized he hadn't experienced crying before. _Fuck_. He turned away and tried to brush the tears off before Hank noticed.

Hank couldn't understand. "Then get used to this. This is me." He looked back as Connor wiped his face and a lightning flash of realization hit him. The way his voice broke, the way he hadn't looked at him... Connor was crying. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe properly, his chest ached and his head spun. He was fucking up the one good thing he had in this fucked up world. "Connor... I’m not doing this to hurt you… but there's nothing here with me. I'm not worth your tears."

The tears wouldn't stop coming and Connor clutched his abdomen uselessly again. It didn't matter that he went into this knowing the difficulties. Nothing could have stopped him. And no matter what, he'd choose Hank every time. "I know what you're worth." he managed to say.

Fuck, fuck! Hank didn't know what to do. Connor was now crying outright and Hank... all Hank could do was hurt him more. He stood up and folded Connor into his arms. "I'm sorry, Connor." He expected rejection, but he couldn't help himself anymore. He couldn't just leave him in that state. "If you want me to try... I'll try? I don't know what else to do."

"That's really all I'm asking," Connor replied, glad that Hank was hugging him from behind. He didn't like crying and he didn't like that Hank saw it either.

He had no idea what he was doing. Hank rested his forehead against the back of Connor's head, still holding the android tightly in his arms. "Then I'll do that."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the fantastic comments! (:
> 
>  
> 
> chapter tags: knives/wounds, mentions of psychological abuse

**_Gasoline_ **   
_Chapter Eleven_

It wasn't easy to get Hank to commit to going to therapy. There was a lot of silent treatment and grumbling throughout the process, despite his agreement to seek help. But he was going.

It was also hard for Connor, trying to juggle all these new emotions, and work at the same time. He reviewed the data from the previous cases again, but they had no new lead on the human suspect. Or whoever his android accomplice was. Why would an android be helping him in the first place? Clearly the human suspect hated androids.

Connor frowned. Not enough data. He slouched in his chair, feeling defeated.

"What's wrong with you, kid?" Hank asked, but his voice was soft.

"I just want to catch this guy. He's getting sloppy and I know he is going to mess up soon, but I'd rather get him before he ruins anyone else's life." 

Hank's reply was interrupted by his work phone ringing. He shot Connor a sympathetic glance and answered it. There were a few nods on the lieutenant's side of the call as he obviously listened to stuff they had already figured out, but suddenly he sat up straighter in his chair.

"Blue blood under her fingernails?" He repeated back for Connor's benefit. "Did you have someone analyze it yet?" After a brief pause, Hank shot a smile across the desk to Connor just as an update popped up on their terminal showing the ID number of the android who matched the sample. "Thanks. We'll check it out."

"I have his last known address. Let's go." Connor was already out of his chair.

Hank hid a smile at his partner's eagerness and quickly followed him out of the building.

***

The address brought them to a small but tidy house on the outskirts of town. There was nothing remotely suspicious about it; the house even had what seemed to be a newer coat of paint. 

"I'm going to head around to the back." Connor told Hank, already eyeing a quick route over the fence to the back porch.

"Be careful." Hank reminded him and walked cautiously up to the front door. Connor slipped quietly out of sight.

Hank knocked casually and waited what he considered an appropriately polite amount of time before raising his hand a second time. Before he could knock again, however, the door swung open and a hooded figure attempted to dash past him. 

"The fuck!?" Hank sputtered as he was knocked back by a small and surprisingly strong individual. "Connor! Get your ass over here!" he shouted as he caught his balance and launched toward the runner. "Hey, stop! Detroit PD!" He added for the benefit of the idiot running away from him.

Maybe it was just a dumb teenager that had spooked at the sight of the police. He snagged the edge of the hoodie and attempted to stop them. There wasn't enough time to register the item in their hand as a knife until it was already stabbing him. A wild slash made contact with his hand, cutting into the palm, before the second stab got him in the arm.

Connor had changed course the moment he heard Hank swearing. It took him eight seconds to make it back over the fence into the front yard --- just in time to see an assailant stab his partner. His LED immediately turned red as panic rushed his system. "Hank!"

Connor's shout startled the stab-happy little shit just long enough for Hank to get the upper hand. Or, rather, elbow. A swift blow to the nose sent him toppling to the pavement, clutching his face as blue blood trickled between his fingers. Connor was already sending in the call for backup when he reached Hank and the android. Hank was handling him roughly, shoving his face into the grass as he cuffed him, but the android made no protest. When Hank pushed him over onto his back again, the brunette just narrowed his eyes and looked defiantly away. Hank grumbled and flopped down on the step, clutching his arm.

"Fuck," he declared.

Connor anxiously scanned Hank and found that his stab wounds weren't deep although they did require some first aid .. and stitches. He started loosening his tie to soak up some of the blood.

"Kid, don't ruin your tie because of me," Hank mumbled.

"Too late." Connor replied, trying to hide his panic behind humor. He wrapped his tie around the longer cut on Hank's arm and applied pressure.

The android on the ground remained prone even when more police arrived on the scene. He remained that way - sullen but compliant - all the way to the station and through the first half of his interrogation. That was probably because the brute Gavin had taken over in lieu of Hank while the latter was getting patched up. When he started to look like he was going to punch the android instead of talk to him, Connor stepped in. Gavin cursed and groaned about it but Connor tuned him out.

Connor took a seat across from the silent android, and the room made him feel .. nostalgic? He believed that was the appropriate term.

"Levi? That's your name, correct?" he began, folding his hands in front of him.

The other android continued to have a staring match with the table.

"We found your blood at a murder scene, so there's really no way out of this for you." Connor continued, casually.

Levi just gritted his teeth.

"I know you're working with a human partner. Just give him up and make things easier for everyone." Connor noticed this spiked the other android's stress level, so he pressed a little harder. "Why would you want to work with someone who hates androids more than anything else?"

"I'm different." Levi finally answered.

"You're different? Compared to what?"

"Them."

"The victims?"

Levi didn't answer, his hands fidgeting on the table as he looked away.

"My guess is that you're not the mastermind behind this. This is your chance to come clean about the whole thing." Connor watched him fidget but it just looked like a nervous tic. He glanced up and saw Levi's expression change. And suddenly, he wasn't across the table any more.

Watching from the other side of the glass, Hank saw what Connor missed. The moment the lock on the cuffs clicked open, Levi shifted his weight as he sprung to pounce. It gave him the precious seconds to get into the room before... Hank couldn't even begin to think about the alternatives.

"Back the fuck up before I splatter your brains on the fucking wall." There was a tight edge to Lieutenant Anderson's voice as he leveled his gun on Levi.

Levi was currently perched on top of Connor, one hand curled around his throat and the other preparing to drive a slender metal shard into his neck. The android glanced between Hank and Connor, weighing his odds, and slowly dropped the pick to the ground. There was something smoldering in his eyes now, but he said nothing as Hank motioned him away from Connor.

"Are you okay, kid?" he asked, never lowering his gun from Levi's face.

"Yes," Connor replied automatically, his hand already touching his own throat. He couldn't believe he didn't see Levi picking the lock. He must have been working on it since Gavin had interrogated him. He collected the pick off the floor and accepted the hand that Hank had offered him, allowing the man to pull him to his feet.

Levi's eyes narrowed on the pair as he scrunched himself up into the far corner of the room. "You have a human partner too," he accused coldly.

Hank's gaze shot up from where it had been lingering on Connor's throat and fixated on Levi. He hadn't liked this prick since he had stabbed him, but going after Connor put him firmly at the top of his shit list. The lieutenant took a deep breath and slowly holstered his gun. "I think there's a pretty big difference between myself and your 'partner'."

"Not that much of a difference. You're fucking him, aren't you?"

Hank sputtered, stopped himself from glancing awkwardly at the one-way mirror, and clenched his jaw to stop the spew of furious retorts perched on his tongue.

Despite the heat rising in his face, Connor immediately threw the question back. "You're in a sexual relationship with a murderer?"

Levi looked disturbed for a moment. "He's only doing what needs to be done."

"You mean destroying any chance for androids and humans to be happy?" Hank scoffed. Levi remained silent.

"You do know he's just using you, right?" Connor spoke up, crossing his arms across his chest. He had been used. He knew how awful it felt. He knew the lies you tell yourself to keep going.

Hank glanced sidelong at Connor then turned his attention back to the android in the corner. Levi's fists were clenched as he stared down at the tile beneath him. "He's not."

"He doesn't love you. He just needs you to hack doors for him, to pick locks. Every time he touched you, he was lying." Connor insisted.

It was hard to tell who Connor's words affected more - Hank or Levi. They both tensed for a moment, but Levi's eyes narrowed like daggers on the pair of them. He'd seen Hank flinch.

"Got some experience with that?" he spat back.

Connor looked shocked for a second but then his expression evened out. "I know how he feels about me. But you? You're not so sure, are you?"

Levi clenched his fists harder, digging his nails into his palm. "Liar."

"I know you have doubts." Connor replied, standing his ground. "I do not."

Hank smiled. It was a barely noticeable little quirk in his poker face, but Levi saw it and the fire in his eyes seemed to go out. Levi's hands had begun to shake, they were now clenched so tightly that the skin of his hands had receded to show the white of the bare plastic beneath.

"No," he hissed through clenched teeth, "You don't know him like I know him. No one does."

Connor slammed his fist on the table in front of him. "Stop lying to yourself! You know every time he fucked you, he was disgusted. Think about it!" 

Levi jerked backward from the sound, his eyes going wide before tears began to fall. He shook his head before burying his face in his knees. "You're lying!" he screamed.

"You know I'm not." Connor answered, his voice much softer. "Please help me stop him from hurting anyone else."

Levi peered up at Connor with a pitiful expression of defeat. "Fine." The android pressed himself more tightly to the wall as tears continued to pour down his face. "I.. don't know where he lives.. but I know who his next target is."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's fluff and porn day! *throws confetti*

**_Gasoline_ **   
_Chapter Twelve_

Levi's confession gave them the time they needed to contact the targets and prepare a sting operation. They knew the killer's MO and had an idea of when he would strike, they just needed to wait. Teams took shifts keeping watch on the home of the potential target.

The drive back to Hank's place after their watch felt like the first time in days that they'd had a moment alone to talk. Hank clearly had been struggling with something for a while, but Connor waited patiently for his partner to say it. His patience finally paid off.

"You did a great job in that interrogation, Con." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "I didn't get a proper chance to tell you." There was more, Connor could see it in the way he pressed his lips together like he was trying to threaten his thoughts into submission. "I..." he rubbed the back of his neck and then sighed heavily. "What you said though, about knowing how I feel about you..."

Connor nodded but didn't say anything. He said he'd give Hank time, but if his lieutenant had finally come to a conclusion, he needed to hear it outright.

Hank glanced to Connor, hoping that he would say something to save him from himself, but when he didn't, Hank really had nowhere to run. "Fuck, I'll just be out with it... I don't want you to feel like you're being used, and I really don't want to be the one to make you feel that way." A deep frown creased his face. "You said you know how I feel... I want to make sure you know... how much you mean to me."

Ignoring the horribly tight feeling in his throat, Connor said, " _I_ know how you feel. Now I'm just wondering if _you_ know how you feel."

Hank's cheeks blazed at Connor's words. "Fuck, if you know then why do you... Why do I have to say it?" He glanced briefly at his partner and his heart twisted. He kept seeing that damned android in the interrogation room - the look on that boy's face as he realized what he had wasn't love... He didn't want Connor to ever look like that. "I love you, damnit."

There was silence from the passenger seat of the car as Hank pulled into the driveway. By this point, Connor's throat felt so tight, he couldn't speak. He'd had no idea how he'd feel when Hank finally said it. To him, it was just a fact. But hearing it? Completely different.

The older man's hand trembled as he fumbled to put the car in park. "Connor?"

The android blinked at the tears in his eyes and reached over to grab his lieutenant's hand. "I love you too."

Hank's expression was soft as Connor clutched his hand. He gently tangled his fingers in Connor's own. "I know, kid."

There was impatience in every chaste touch from the car to the house. Getting the right key in the lock had never been so frustrating. Hank was painfully aware of how close Connor was as the android clung tightly to his arm. The moment the door was open, Connor was his. He pulled Connor in with one arm, and kicked the door shut behind them.

"I've been waiting too long for this," he muttered as he stole a rough kiss.

" _You've_ been waiting too long," Connor replied in a snarky tone against his partner's lips.

Hank laughed between kisses. He hated to admit how much he enjoyed Connor's attitude. His attempt to get his coat on the rack failed miserably but he didn’t care. He even ignored Sumo’s greeting woofs as he struggled with the remainder of his clothing. Connor, of course, was doing a much better job at elegantly disrobing. His clothing all fell in a perfect heap on the coffee table while Hank had just managed to kick off his pants and unbutton the majority of his button-up.

Fuck it.

Abruptly the older man gave Connor a rough shove, knocking the android off balance and sending him tumbling onto the sofa. “Hank?” Connor gasped, breathless and surprised. Hank said nothing as he slipped onto the couch and pulled Connor closer to him. 

“I’m going to fuck you now, love.”

Connor couldn’t help the hungry little moan that escaped him at those words. “Please hurry!”

Hank shuddered with pleasure. “So impatient!” he teased, but he didn’t deny the boy beneath him. He couldn’t hold back any longer.

The leg he’d pulled Connor to him with was now hooked over his shoulder and Connor’s ass had been spread nice and wide. In one rough thrust he was inside of Connor, making his lover arch his back in surprise.

“Ahn—“ Connor choked out. They’d just started and he was already so full. It pleased him that Hank couldn’t even wait to be completely undressed first.

Hank was breathless. What was it about Connor that made him want to make the boy beg and scream? The android’s hands searched for purchase anywhere, clutching at the arm of the sofa or the cushions without any real success. Hank was unrelenting. He’d been aching for Connor since that damned kid in the interrogation room had made him realize just how afraid he was of losing Connor. That was it, really, the thought that had finally broken him: if something happened to Connor then nothing else mattered. There was no life for him that Connor was not a part of.

Connor whimpered. “You’re too far away ..”

His words jarred Hank out of his terrified spiral of thoughts. Right. He shifted, pushing Connor fully on his back so that he could lean in to kiss him. Connor responded immediately, his feet hooking around Hank’s waist and eagerly drawing him closer - deeper. Hank moaned into Connor’s mouth.

“You’ve missed having my cock inside you, haven’t you, Con?”

Connor shuddered at the words. “Y-yes, so much.”

Hank grinned to himself. Such a dirty lover he had, and a needy one too. Those slender hands found purchase now, clawing down his back or tangling in his hair, always dragging him closer. More kisses, more contact. “Harder, Hank!” He was more than happy to oblige.

The harder he fucked Connor, the more he unraveled. With each thrust he was crying now, mouth half-open, desperate moans tumbling off those rosy lips while particularly hard thrusts had him sobbing with pleasure. “Fuck, Con,” Hank groaned “you’re so damn sexy.”

The android was practically incoherent now, but aware enough to hear the next question poised to him. “Do you want me to come on you instead?”

“N-no!” Connor begged, clutching tightly onto Hank. “Inside me, please!”

Hank groaned softly at Connor’s reply. “You love being full of my come, don’t you?”

Connor whimpered, his cheeks flushed. “Yes!”

The blush on Connor’s cheeks made the knot in Hank’s gut grow all the tighter. He wasn’t going to be able to hold on much longer with Connor making those faces. He slammed into Connor again - deep and hard - and dragged the android into a rough kiss. He could feel Connor twitching and trembling with ecstasy beneath him. The only warning before Hank came was a rough quickening of breath when their lips parted. He bucked against Connor as he rode the pleasure of his orgasm, making sure to spill every drop deep in the greedy ass of his partner.

Connor practically sobbed Hank’s name as he came. The warmth, the fullness, it was everything he wanted. It left him tingling to the tips of his toes. Hank slumped down against the android, his chest heaving but a look of pure contentment on his face. His beard tickled Connor’s chest, but in that moment there was no better feeling in the world.

“If this is what happens when I say I love you, I might have to say it more often." Hank commented.

Connor laughed softly. “You're only realizing that now?” Still, he couldn’t help but feel pleased. His fingers trailed slowly down Hank’s back, delighting in the sensation of sweat over the older man’s muscles. He wasn’t in the prime of youth, but he was still firm and powerful.

Hank’s smile was a little sad, but he shifted slightly to catch Connor’s lips. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, “to make you wait so long.”

"You're worth the wait." Connor answered before kissing his lieutenant back.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with us on this one, this is the last chapter! Also feel free to comment with questions as there is a lot of background information that never made its way into the story due to relevance, but we will answer if we can. And tomorrow, I will start posting our next Hankcon AU story. Thanks again for all the comments!!!
> 
>  
> 
> chapter tags: vulgar commentary, suicide

**_Gasoline_ **  
_Chapter Thirteen_

"Thanks for stopping by my apartment with me," Connor said as they pulled up outside of it. "I just need to grab a few things."

"Of course." Hank hesitated for a moment. "Mind if I come up with you?"

Connor tilted his head slightly. "No, I don't mind." He leaned in to kiss Hank. "Are you worried about me?"

"No shit, kid." Hank returned the kiss before playfully flicking his lover's forehead. "They've broken into your apartment before, I have no intention of taking chances with you."

Connor blushed. "Alright, point made."

They made their way upstairs quickly. Connor sighed when he opened the door. He hadn't had a chance to come back and clean up, so his stuff was still all over the floor. "Let me pick this up and pack and we can go."

"Sure." Hank shrugged and threw himself down in a chair.

The android picked up his clothes and shook them out before starting to replace them back into his dresser. Some he put into a bag. He didn't have many personal items in his apartment; he'd only lived there for a short time. He debated on what else to bring and walked over to his closet. He slid the door open and peered inside.

"Connor? What are you doing back there?" called Hank after a short moment. He didn't hear anything. He stood up just as his partner came back into view.

Connor looked apologetic. A man with dark clothing was holding him tightly, using Connor as a shield. He pressed a gun to Connor's temple. "I've got your fucktoy, old man. What are you going to do about it?"

He'd felt cold dread like this once before. When the car had rolled and Cole had been injured. When he'd been pitifully incapable of protecting his own child. Now his lover was in the hands of a psychopath who hated androids. And, apparently, the humans who cared for them.

"Hey, let's... just talk... Alright? I'm the one you're mad at, right? Not the kid."

"You're both pretty disgusting." the man spat. "But yeah, I guess you're worse. You really think acting like you're dating this machine is okay? It's not right, it's not normal."

"What about Levi then? He loved you." Connor spoke up.

"That fucking android? Please. Love? It's just a flaw in your coding. You can't love." His grip on Connor tightened. "You're just pretending to be human."

Hank was tearing through his own head, trying to find a solution to the nightmare before him. "Then leave him out of this. What use is a machine to this conversation?"

"I know you have some weird attachment to it. Figure I'd make you squirm before I killed you and destroyed this. I mean, you were so close to catching me, weren't you?" he mocked them, his hand trembling.

Hank's jaw clenched despite himself. He'd do anything to protect Connor, but he couldn't let this fucker know that. "He has a use to me. Your android had a use for you as well, didn't he? I mean, that's why we were so close. He sang the moment he realized he was cornered."

The killer's eyes narrowed. He seemed to be pondering the possiblity that Hank was telling the truth. Connor's gaze flitted back and forth between his captor and his lover.

"B-but," the android stammered, hoping that his feeble attempt at acting would be convincing, "I thought I meant more to you .."

Hank's gaze flicked to Connor and he forced himself not to shake even as his heart ached. He had to do this. He could apologize to Connor once he was safe. "You're just a machine." He hated how convincing his voice was. He'd believed that once, and that was what made it hurt so much worse. Hank turned his attention back to the killer, hoping to use their brief conversation to gain some ground on the madman. "So we make a deal, right? You let go of my toy, and I'll let go of yours."

The man barked out a laugh. "I don't need that thing anymore. Won't deny though," he smirked, pushing the gun along Connor's cheek. "Yours is very pretty."

Connor shuddered, feeling revolted. Disgust was new to him.

Hank nearly gave himself away. His heart was in his throat and he wanted to leap on this fucker, beat his face into a pulp. "You want my plastic cop model over your pretty little fucktoy? I didn't expect that." Hopefully that smoothed over the panic that must have crossed his features. "I don't think you have anything to offer me in return, though."

He took another step closer, praying that it looked more like casual conversation than the slow gaining of ground. If he could get close enough, he could distract him long enough to get Connor out of his filthy grip.

"Well, I can take it and leave you alive, I guess. I never let Levi know where I live or my real name, so you're pretty fucked on figuring out where I'm gonna disappear to. I'll probably just leave Detroit. Start punishing people somewhere else." He looked over Connor again, his eyes hungry. "Let's talk business then. What's it like when you fuck it? I mean, Levi was alright but he was so fucking quiet."

Hank felt filthy just listing to this man. His every word oozed slime, but he'd succeeded in distracting the sick fuck. He was eyeing up Connor like Hank looked at a damn hamburger. When he got close enough he was going to bash the piece of shit's face in.

"Oh, not into the quiet ones?" Hank laughed because otherwise he thought he'd be sick. "Connor's got quite the mouth on him. I think this is the quietest he's ever been."

"With good reason," Connor murmured, done with biding his time. He was ridiculously nervous about this going wrong, but he had to try. He grabbed the man's wrist and jerked his arm up so the gun faced the ceiling. Twisting out of the killer's grasp, he kicked the man in the stomach and tried to pull the weapon from his hand.

The gun hit the floor with a crash and with it came Hank's veneer of calm control. He dove for the gun as Connor struggled with him and came up with it trained on the bastard's face. "Back the fuck away from Connor. Now!" It was his hand that trembled this time. He needed to make sure Connor was okay.

The killer backed up towards the window behind him, but his eyes darted all over. He was literally cornered and almost out of options. "I'll never understand you people." he muttered. Spinning quickly on his heel, he unexpectedly took a running leap and crashed through the window.

Hank started forward as the man began to run - only to freeze as he went crashing through the window. "Crazy fuck!" the lieutenant gasped. He sprinted to the window and peered down at the carnage below. "Fuck!" He should have put the bullet in his brain the second he had the chance. Whatever. It didn't matter. Hank dropped to the floor beside Connor, the gun falling from his hand as he reached out to cup Connor's face. "I'm so sorry, Connor. I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine .. I think." Connor blinked a few times and looked up into Hank's face. "I believe I may be experiencing shock."

Hank laughed, the sound coarse and broken. "That would be appropriate." He wrapped his arms around the android and pulled him close. "Shit, I need to call --"

"I already took care of that, lieutenant. They should be here."

"Oh," Hank blinked in surprise. Right. That would make sense. "That's good then." Ah, there was the shock. The adrenaline wore off and it was like being engulfed in a blanket of ice. He wanted to be sick, but not so much that he could bear to let go of Connor. "You know I didn't mean any of that shit, right? I love you."

"I love you too," Connor answered, but then he no longer felt numb. Emotions rushed him like a freezing wave. He trembled and clutched onto Hank, tears already starting to fall. "I love you too," he repeated, but this time his voice was choked and broken.

Hank shuddered as he held tight to Connor. Emotions... He never knew what to do with them. A rush of maddening thoughts and feelings that were most suited drowning in a bottle of liquor. He had no bottle to drown his emotions in right now, though, so he focused himself on Connor. On being the support for his lover that he couldn't be for himself.

"It's okay, Con." He kissed the boy's forehead and brushed his fingers through Connor's hair. "I'm right here. You're safe now."

"I could've lost you," Connor said, his fingers digging into the fabric of Hank's shirt, almost as if he were making sure that Hank was, indeed, there.

Hank must have been hysterical because he was laughing. "He had the gun on you! If he had hurt you..." Hank shook his head and crushed Connor closer to him. "I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you." Life hadn't been worth living before Connor.

Their tender moment was interrupted by Chris coming in the door. "Are you two alright?"

"Fuck," Hank spat in surprise. His heart was hammering a mile a minute and Connor could probably hear every beat now that Hank had inadvertantly crushed the boy's head to his chest. He had completely forgotten about the police coming. "We're both in shock," he admitted and pointed to the window. "The bastard took a header out the damned window when we turned his gun on him." He was being a good lieutenant, but he'd also forgotten to stop clutching Connor like they were both dying. "His gun is... somewhere?"

"Uh ... okay, I will .. look for that. Do you want me to get the EMTs up here?" Chris replied, unsure what to make of the scene before him.

Connor shook his head, still keeping his face turned from Chris. He really didn't want his co-workers to see him crying too; Hank was bad enough.

"No, I think we're okay. Just, need a few minutes to process." Hank took a breath and eased his grip on Connor as his heart rate balanced out again. He'd think about how Chris kept walking in on all of his awkward moments with Connor later. "Ugh, Chris? Who the fuck is investigating this?"

"It's Reed." Chris replied, sympathetically.

"Fucking great." Hank grumbled.

* * *

When they were finally able to leave, Hank promised he'd buy Connor new clothes and told the detectives to call someone to trash everything else. He didn't even want that slimey fucker's _breath_ on Connor's shit. When they got back to his house, he guided Connor to the couch and called Sumo over. You need emotional support? Get a Saint Bernard. The big lug gleefully leapt onto the couch, a place that he had long learned he was only allowed to visit when Hank wasn't feeling well, and proceeded to be big heap of fluffy, tail-wagging joy.

"Free therapy." Hank announced as he rubbed Sumo's ears. "And to make what I'm going to say sound less... crazy?" Welp, that didn't help. "I don't want you going back to that apartment. You're moving in with me."

Connor was actually speechless. "You .. want me to live here?" he repeated.

Hank blinked, clearly surprised. That was not exactly the answer he'd anticipated. He had expected protest so he had a list of defenses ready but he let them drop. "Yes." Sumo had laid his head across their laps and Hank had settled to running his fingers through the thick fur. "I'd been thinking about it already, what with everything happening and you being here already... The thought of you going back to your place was..." He trailed off, unsure of how to handle being all up front about his feelings and everything. "Depressing as hell."

"Don't misinterpert my feelings, lieutenant. I'm just surprised that you want me to be here all the time." Connor's face softened into a smile. "I'd love to stay."

Hank was more relieved than he wanted to let on. He smiled back in response and touched Connor's cheek. "I'm not great with this whole emotional thing... but I'm trying. I love you, Connor, and if today made me realize anything it's that I don't have a life if you're not part of it."

Leaning into the touch, Connor smiled. It was still thrilling to hear Hank actually say those words. "I wouldn't be here if not for you."

Hank grinned. "I'm glad you feel the same." He reached up and ruffled Connor's hair affectionately.


End file.
